


Radiant Decay

by GuyYouMetOnline



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-06
Updated: 2014-03-13
Packaged: 2018-01-07 18:18:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 99,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1122864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuyYouMetOnline/pseuds/GuyYouMetOnline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>500 years after an apocalyptic event knows as the Radiance, Gensokyo is a dying world overrun by creatures known as Shades. Nue Houjuu, desperately searching for a way to save the life of the woman she's come to love from a mysterious disease, stumbles upon an object that may be connected both to the disease and to the Shades. Meanwhile, Fujiwara no Mokou finds herself confronting the one she loves, a lifelong enemy as her only ally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: Broken Lives

**A note before we begin: this story will be heavily based on that of the video game NieR. Knowledge of that game is in no way needed, however, as I'm only drawing from it; this isn't a crossover or anything. And for those who are familiar with NieR, well, don't think you know what all the twists are, because although this is to a significant extent based on NieR, there'll be a lot that has nothing to do with NieR (including, as you'll soon see, the very first scene).**

**Another note: throughout the story, I have included links to various music tracks, mostly taken from NieR, although I've used others where I thought it appropriate. I highly recommend listening to these while reading.**

**All right, here we go:**

* * *

 

 

**Chapter 1  
** _Broken Lives_

 

[BGM=<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhjKjtdu-_c>]

She stood at the gates of hell.

Not the _true_ hell, of course; even back when it was a place you could travel to, Higan had no gates, only the river that served the purpose more effectively than any gate could. And not the former hell, either; that, she was already in. No, this was a personal hell, created specifically for the person stuck inside.

She raised her hand to the 'keypad' and punched in the code. A simple code, one she'd only seen once before, a long time ago, but very easy to remember. After all, there was little harm anyone could do inside; it was there for the safety of those still outside.

The specially made 'door' slid open, the flames within illuminating the deserted corridor. But light was all that escaped; the flames, and the heat, and everything else was safely contained within. Even when the door was open, a magic field kept it contained.

She held her hand up and reached through the field, quickly pulling it back. _Burnt. As expected. This is not going to be pleasant._ Flame was usually harmless to her, but the solar fires contained within here were different, outside of her control. And the other effects, of course, she also could do nothing about. Not that she needed to; very shortly after emerging, her body would be as though nothing had happened.

She stepped up to the opening and paused. _Okay, last chance to walk away. If I do this, there's no turning back. Do I really want to do this for_ her _?_ She shook her head. _No, don't think that way. What I've done to her is far worse than what she did to me._

She focused. The solar flames may have been outside her ability to influence, but she could still sense them, and as such, could tell where something was within it. And there was only one thing in there.

She paused again, readying herself, and then moved. The cloak she'd been wearing was incinerated as she passed through the field, and Fujiwara no Mokou leapt into the flames.

It was a straight shot, and Mokou finished quickly. She went in, grabbed what she was after, and came out, placing the body she'd retrieved on the floor. She examined her anti-fire charms. Hers were far more effective than any others could be, as she was able to infuse them with the essence of fire upon making them. But even hers had been overcome by the solar furnace. _They did their job, though; my clothes are still intact._ And she had other charms to replace them. Her body had been very badly burned, but it wouldn't be a problem; she was already healing. The body she'd retrieves was much worse, but that one, too was healing.

Mokou picked up the basic outfit she'd placed by the door. She dressed the naked body as soon as its full shape had regenerated. _No way I'd carry her naked. Not happening._ She then grabbed one of the two swords she'd placed there, both in their sheaths. This one belonged to the unconscious woman before her, and Mokou strapped it on her. The other was Mokou's, and she put that on herself. _Right, time to go._

Mokou pressed the button to close the door, then took off, the body of Kaguya Houraisan slung over her shoulder.

Mokou flew through the halls, taking a route she knew well. As she neared the end, she saw two youkai coming towards her. They were hell crows, and these ones were able to take humanoid forms, which they were currently in.

One of them pointed at Mokou. "Hey, isn't that-"

"She's got the captive," the other cried out. "Mokou, stop now!"

"No." Mokou drew her sword, swinging it in a wide arc as she flew by the pair. She caught the first across the chest, but the other dodged and grabbed Mokou by the leg. Mokou took hold of the crow's arm, pulled herself in, and impaled her through the chest. She withdrew her blade and impaled the other, then quickly wiped the blade off on the crow's clothes before returning the blade to its sheath. And she did it all without dropping Kaguya.

There was no more opposition as Mokou proceeded on, and before long, she was out. She moved into the passage, leaving the Palace of the Earth Spirits behind her. Below was the entrance to the reactor, which was not her destination. She flew the other way, up towards the surface. The passage, which opened by the Youkai Mountain, had been made by the god Suwako at Kanako's behest, in order to allow the kappa easy access. These days, the passage was rarely used, and Mokou encountered no others as she flew up through it.

[end BGM]

* * *

 

[BGM=<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoNf0b0CLYU>]

 

_T_ _he world is dying. Once thriving populations now lie decimated by plague and disease. And as if that wasn't enough, monsters now roam the land, threatening our very lives. The end has never felt so close._

_But that's of no consequence to me. The woman I love is sick, and all I want to do is help her._

_My name is Nue Houjuu. A long time ago, I was a terror throughout the land. But then Gensokyo was separated from the rest of the world, and the human populations had powerful defenders. Not that this stopped me. And I went after youkai, too, which there was no shortage of. But that ended fifteen hundred years ago._

_I had targeted a Buddhist monk and her companions, intending to have some fun with them. My timing, however, was bad. It turns out that this particular monk was also a youkai exterminator. Except that she never killed youkai. She instead relocated them. See, she's only a_ former _human; she had secretly become a youkai, and had secretly been aiding other youkai. And the humans, when they found out, were not amused. But the reason the monk, Byakuren Hijiri, had become a youkai was in search of a way to avoid death, and the means of immortality she found made her into a youkai. She couldn't be killed, but the humans wanted to be rid of her. So they sealed her away within the realm of Makai. They promised not to harm her companions if she cooperated, which she did, but the humans were tricking her. Byakuren was sealed in Makai, and her companions, as well as their flying ship, were sealed separately. They were locked underground. And I, simply because I'd been there, was sent underground as well._

_I am no longer the terror I was back then; a thousand years of being sealed away can change you. I still like having my fun, though, so when we were eventually unsealed, I decided to do just that. They were broken out of the underground unintentionally, as we would later discover, by a youkai who had suddenly gained significant power. Locked away with us had been objects needed to free Byakuren, and in the geyser that freed the ship, they were scattered. I attached Seeds of Non-Identification to these objects, changing how people saw them. This attracted all sorts of company, but in the end, they were able to release Byakuren._

_Byakuren, upon returning to Gensokyo, converted the ship into a temple. She aided anyone who needed her aid, human or youkai. And relationships between humans and youkai were not nearly as strained as they had been a thousand years ago, so she could aid both openly. They even aided me. A couple of the ones who'd been drawn in by my trick managed to track me down, and they decided to beat the shit out of me. One of Byakuren's companions found me afterwards, and the temple took me in. They even knew that I was the one who had caused them trouble, yet they still took me in._

_I stayed at the temple for a while after that. It was the first time I'd ever felt guilty for something I'd done, and I felt it because they'd aided me despite knowing that I had interfered with them. So I stuck around. I was never as devoted as them, but I did my part._

_This arrangement lasted for a few years. It lasted until the event that changed everything._

_Until the Radiance._

* * *

"I need some medicinal herbs," Heida no Ari said. "Could you go get them for me? Three, please."

"Sure," Nue said.

"Thank you. Here."

Nue took the money Ari held out. "Um, I think this is more that the herbs cost."

"The rest is your payment."

"Woah," Nue said, "I'm just running an errand for you. There's no way that's worth this much."

"Just take it. It's the least I can do for you."

"…Fine," Nue said. "Byakuren won't like the thought of you giving us this much, though."

"I'd just give you the money freely if she wouldn't start going on about how I shouldn't trouble myself so much for your sake. I'm being accommodating enough by giving you these dumb errands. Take the money."

"All right, if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"Okay then." Nue opened the door. "Thanks, Ari," she said as she exited Ari's home.

* * *

_The Radiance happened five hundred years ago. And nobody knows what it actually was; the name comes from the bright light that accompanied it. The actual event was, as far as anyone could determine, brief, but the effects were lasting._

_When the Radiance happened, these… things appeared. Creatures with generally humanoid forms, but… weird. Shadowy. And fluxuating, almost as though they only half-exist. But that is only appearance; these creatures are, in fact, completely solid._

_The creatures were violent. When they appeared, attacks began immediately. The death toll was significant. And that's in addition to the many deaths that remain unexplained. People who seemingly just… died. Those numbers, though, are minor compared to the damage done by the creatures._

_Nobody knows where the creatures came from. They just appeared, and in significant numbers. And they were indiscriminately violent. A lot was destroyed in that initial event, the Temple of Myouren included._

_The creatures attacked in force, and it was all we could do to get as many people out as we did. And we didn't all make it. Ichirin Kumoi was found dead the next day. Shou's gone, too; there was no sign of her at all. We never found Kyouko's body, either. Murasa is gone, as well; the temple was also her ship, her anchor in this world. With it gone, she passed on to the netherworld. Before, she could have simply returned to us from there, but that's not possible now. Only Byakuren, Nazrin, and I made it through alive. Mamizou, too, though she was more my guest than actually one of us._

_The temple was completely destroyed; only ruins remain. Many homes and other places were also destroyed. Fields were ravaged, crops lost. And the crops continue to die; every year, more land ceases to be fertile. It's bad enough now; in another generation or two, there may not be much left. Not even the sky escaped unscarred._

_All these problems are bad enough; with the creatures, it's even worse. They're still violent, still numerous, and still shadowy-looking. Nobody knows what they are, but we do have a name for them._

_We call them Shades._

 

[end BGM]

 

* * *

There was a commotion in the market. Nue spotted a familiar face near the edge of the crowd and went over to her. "Mamizou, what's going on?"

The tanuki, Mamizou, turned to face Nue. "Ah, Nue. Good timing. I was about to go look for you."

"What is it?"

"Shades," Mamizou said. "A small group has been spotted near the village."

"What?"

"It's true!" one of the villagers said. "I saw them myself! They're just outside the north entrance!"

"I'd handle them if I could," Mamizou said, "but, well, you know."

Nue did indeed know. Mamizou was extremely skilled when it came to danmaku, but Shades didn't play by the spellcard rules, and danmaku wasn't very helpful in a real fight. Mamizou was quite powerful, yes, but she was much more specialized than Nue. When it came to deceptions and illusions, she was unmatched, but she was lacking in actualy combat ability, both physical and magical, though she was still above the average youkai in both. "I can handle it," Nue said. "Just let me buy some herbs first; Ari asked me to get some for her. Can I ask you to deliver them?"

"No problem," Mamizou said.

* * *

Mokou flew through the bamboo forest in which she'd once made her home. She'd been gone for quite some time, but circumstances had led to her returning about a month ago. She landed in the small clearing she'd been using, and gently placed Kaguya on the ground, taking a seat beside her.

Mokou sighed. _I just jumped into a damn star made by the woman I loved to rescue the one responsible for the deaths of not only people important to me, but also people important to her. The world has most certainly gone crazy._

After a rest, Mokou got to her feet. _Right. I should probably go find some food. We may not need it, but after five hundred years, she'll most certainly_ want _it. And I want some, too. I guess crazy rescues can really help you work up an appetite._

* * *

[bgm=<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB9HO_xnSHw>]

"Greetings, Nue," Byakuren said as Nue entered. After the temple's destruction, the two of them and Nazrin had relocated to a house in the human village; the family that had previously lived there had all been killed in the initial Shade attack. It was more than large enough for the three of them, and when Nazrin had relocated to a nearby house whose residents had suffered the same fate, Nue and Byakuren had been left with even more extra space. They made use of it, though, taking in and caring for people much as they had in the temple, although it of course couldn't hold nearly as many.

"Hey," Nue said. "How're you feeling?"

"Normal. You worry too much, Nue. I'm fine. There's nothing stopping me from lending my aid where it is needed. What of yourself? It sounded like there was a bit of a commotion down by the market."

"Some Shades were spotted near the village," Nue said. "I heard about it while running an errand for Ari. Just a trio, a small group that looked like it had wandered close, but you know how nervous those things make people. So I took care of them."

"It is unusual for them to come near the village, though."

After putting her things away, Nue took a seat next to Byakuren. "True, but I really think it was just coincidence that they ended up close to here."

"Maybe," Byakuren said. "I heard about some unusual Shade activity myself, though."

"Oh?"

"Apparently, Shades were seen heading in the direction of the temple ruins."

"Really? Why would they do that? There's nothing there."

"We have looked the site over quite thoroughly," Byakuren agreed. "The mausoleum below it, however, is a different story."

"Miko's bunch went through it," Nue said. "They didn't find anything."

"True, but then, that structure is more intact than the temple, and there was more within it to begin with. And it was more complex, too. I would think it's much more likely for them to have missed something than it is for us. Or maybe whatever the Shades are there for is something that would seem to have no interest to them or us."

"Shades can show up in unusual areas. And they generally don't like the light very much, either. I'm surprised they haven't been going there before now."

"That is another factor," Byakuren said. "Why haven't they been?"

"Maybe we just haven't noticed."

"Unlikely."

"Agreed," Nue said. "I still don't think they're necessarily up to something, though. I don't know that they have enough of a mind to be 'up to' anything. Still, I guess it's worth taking a look. I'll head over there tomorrow."

"Alone?"

"I can handle myself, Byakuren. You know that."

"I suppose I do. And the Shades you found today gave you no problems, I'm sure."

"As I said, it was just a random trio. Nothing to worry about. Certainly didn't stop me from getting work done."

"You found some work today, then."

"Yeah. Nothing big, though. Just minor random things, such as Ari having me run an errand for her, get her some herbs from the market."

"I hope you didn't ask for payment for something so minor."

Nue chuckled. "Ari paid me. I tried to tell her otherwise, but she was insistent."

"She could easily have gone shopping on her own. Why did she have you do it?"

"Actually, it's your fault." Nue laughed again. "Ari said she'd just give to us if you'd let her."

Byakuren sighed. "We've been over this, Nue. The people have it hard enough already. They shouldn't have to add to their hardships for our sake."

The discussion was indeed familiar ground. "Yeah, I know, but we need some things. We got by fine on charity, but if you're turning even that down, where's that leave us? We do need at least some money. Since you won't accept any, I have to."

"And when you do things people would pay for anyways, it's different. I can accept that, though I don't like it. But I'm never going to ask for payment for my services. People shouldn't be left to suffer just because they don't have enough money."

"I know. And I don't charge for everything. You know that. I'm only charging at all because it's necessary."

"Yes," Byakuren said, "I know."

[end BGM]

* * *

_Over the time since being freed, my relationship with Byakuren changed. The more time we spent together, the more I became aware of my feelings for her._

_It took me a long time to get up the courage to tell her that I loved her. It wasn't until many years after the Radiance that I made that confession. I'd never been so worried in my life. I thought for sure she wouldn't return my feelings, not when I was a troublemaker. Even if I had been making less trouble as time went on. But I guess I'd changed even more than I realized. Byakuren and I have become very close since then, which makes the current situation very hard on me._

_There is a disease. The first case of it was several years ago. It's fairly rare, which is good, as all known cases have been fatal. Because of the writing-like black marks it leaves on the skin, it has become known as the Black Scrawl._

_And Byakuren has it._

_Nobody knows how much time she has left. She's already lived with it for much longer than anyone else, and without much of the physical deterioration that it causes. Without much of the pain, too. I think it's because of her nature, because of the change she underwent to avoid death. But it's affecting her despite the immortality she attained, and I fear it's only a matter of time before it claims even her._

_I'm doing everything I can to find a cure, to find some way to save her. If the very, very slow rate of progression is any indication, there's still time, maybe a few years instead of the few months is usually takes. But even that feels like far too little time. She's going to die if I can't find anything, and I don't want to lose her._

* * *

[BGM=<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzDx3PCbXig>]

When Kaguya awoke, it was night.

Kaguya slowly rose to a seated position and looked around. She was in a small clearing within a forest. _The bamboo forest? No, I know it too well, and I don't recognize… well, I suppose change is to be expected. Something's strange, though._

Kaguya looked around. Sure enough, there was an odd look to her surroundings. She looked up to the star-filled night sky. _The stars look off, too, but I can't tell how. Maybe…_ She quickly located the moon. _What the- is the moon… orange? No, not just the moon. The stars, too. Come to think of it, that's what looks odd all around, isn't it? There's an orange tint. But why? What could cause something like that?_

Kaguya spotted someone entering the clearing, someone she knew well. "Mokou."

"Naturally," Mokou said with a chuckle. "Of course you woke up while I was gone."

"Wait… are you the one who-"

"Got you out of there? Yes. I did. The reason is complicated, so don't ask."

"There are more important concerns, anyways," Kaguya said. "For instance: what's with the orange tint?"

"That's just the way things are now. Don't ask me why. I'm a little behind on surface events."

"Yes, that's right, you moved in with that hell crow." _A conversation with the woman who's declared me her immortal enemy. Somewhat awkward._ "Um, how are… uh…"

"Don't try to force small talk," Mokou said. "There are important things to go over anyways. Starting with the date. Kaguya, it's been five hundred years."

"Four hundred seventy-nine years, eighty-six days, eleven hours, six minutes, and… twenty-five seconds."

"Um…"

"I am the Maiden of Eternity," Kaguya said. "Of course I know how long it's been."

"Right." Mokou sighed. "Kaguya, um…"

"Don't worry about it. I got your father killed, and then before she threw me in there, I… well, let me put it this way: I'm willing to call us even."

Mokou was silent. _Guess I surprised her with that one._

"Really, Mokou," Kaguya said after a few minutes of silence, "it's okay to speak."

"I prefer to remain silent when I don't know what to say."

_Yes, she certainly was not expecting that._ "At a loss for words, are you?"

"I just… okay, um, Kaguya? How the hell can you just dismiss something like that?"

"Several reasons," Kaguya said. "First, the more philosophical one: I've learned to be forgiving. Having someone who won't forgive me at all has taught me that lesson quite nicely. People do things they shouldn't have. That was true of me when I issued my challenge, and as soon as I realized what was happening, I withdrew it. It's true here, too. And you clearly have decided that what happened was wrong, as you are the one who rescued me."

"Right," Mokou said, "whatever."

"The second reason-and by far the most important one-is that you aren't the one who threw me in there. All you did was stand by while it happened. A wrong, yes, but not nearly as major a wrong." Mokou said nothing, but Kaguya could tell she didn't agree. "And the third reason is that the situation wasn't nearly as bad as you think it was."

"Um…"

"Oh, it's nothing complicated. It's just a matter of awareness. I was in there for almost five hundred years, but I was only aware for about a month."

It took a few seconds for Mokou to reply. "Uh, what?"

Kaguya laughed. "I was only aware for about a month. Twenty-nine days, one hour, fifty-four minutes, and three seconds, to be precise."

"Um… how exactly does that work?"

"It's simple," Kaguya said. "I merely locked my mind in eternity. In that way, the time passed without me needing to consciously experience it."

"Oh," Mokou said. "Um, clever. That never occurred to u-um, why did it take a month? Why didn't you do that right away?"

"I had to think of it first, and being in a sun kind of makes that hard, even when you're as used to pain as I am. Then I had to figure out a way to have the effect wear off, or else I'd remain in such a state for eternity. You have no idea how tricky it is to make a non-eternal eternity."

"Um, right."

"I did, of course, figure it out. I used the chamber I was in as the anchor for the effect. This didn't put the entire chamber in the effect-I made it so that it happened only to me-but it did ensure that the effect would end as soon as I was no longer within the chamber. It ended when you pulled me out. After that, it was just ordinary unconsciousness. Until now, of course."

Right," Mokou said. "Um-"

A noise cut Mokou of, and she immediately took a ready position, sword in hand. Kaguya got to her feet. "What? What is it?"

"Shades."

[end BGM]

 

* * *

 

**And there we go. A few notes:**

**0: This story is already in progress; I've been posting it on fanfiction.net. Currently, the first 13 chapters are completed. I will be posting them here at a rate of one every couple days or so, but for those who don't want to wait, they are available on fanfiction.net.**

**1: This story does not share continuity with any of my other stories (all of which are available on fanfiction.net). There will likely be elements familiar to anyone who's read my previous stories, which may include certain character backstories, some character pairings, the ways Gensokyo works, that sort of thing. But that's all; there's no continuity.**

**2: Some characters may seem out-of-character when they first appear, but remember that it's been five hundred years. People change over that much time. And yes, I do plan to go into some of what happened in those five hundred years to cause such changes.**

**3: To those who've played NieR: No spoilers, please.**

**4: I'd really like feedback, so please don't hesitate to say whatever you think. Hell, even a 'that was good' is better than nothing. And if you've played NieR, let me know what you think about how I'm integrating those elements into Gensokyo.**

**6: I apologize in advance for the low frequency of updates.**

**Right, that's all I can think of right now. Enjoy the story.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Lost Mausoleum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Kaguya learns of the changes Gensokyo has undergone in the past 500 years, Nue heads to the ruins of the Myouren Temple to investigate the rumored Shade presence at the mausoleum below it.

**Chapter 2** _The Lost Mausoleum_

Kaguya got to her feet. "What the hell are Shades?"

"They are," Mokou said.

The creatures that emerged from the surrounding forest were like nothing Kaguya had ever seen. Their forms were humanoid, but… well, not just inhuman, but… Kaguya had no idea how to describe it. It was almost like they didn't fully exist. Their forms were shadowy, and seemed to… to shift, or something. Even their coloration was inconsistent, always a combination of black and yellow but ever-changing. And the weapons they wielded were the same way. "What the hell?"

"Nobody really knows," Mokou said. "They just came out of nowhere one day. The day you attacked, actually."

"From your reaction, I assume they're hostile."

"They are."

"Are they all that small?" The Shades she and Mokou were facing stood at about half her height.

"No," Mokou said. "These are just one variety. Fairy-types, they're known as."

"They don't look much like fairies."

"They're small, weak, annoying, and there's a lot of 'em. What else would you call them?"

"Good point." A pause. "Um, are they going to attack?"

"I'm surprised they haven't yet."

"Do you think they're waiting, or something?"

"They've never done that before, but it does kind of look-" Mokou cut off as more Shades emerged, larger ones. "Okay, it _definitely_ looks like they were waiting for backup."

"These ones are larger," Kaguya noted.

Mokou nodded. "Human-types; they're pretty average in every respect. This is a large group, too, larger than any I've seen. And I think they're ready to attack. Try not to die."

Kaguya took a ready stance. "You're worried about dying? Someone who's immortal? Is there something about these creatures I should know?"

"I don't know what would happen if they killed one of us," Mokou said. "They've never managed to take me down. But they've injured me, and although the wounds do heal, there's something different about wounds they inflict. Don't ask me what. All I know is they feel weird and take a little longer to heal. And hurt differently while healing. I don't know what would happen if the things killed me, and I'm not eager to find out."

"Right. Any combat tips?"

"They're resistant to magic," Mokou said. "Not immune; it just doesn't hurt them quite as much as it should, especially pure shots. You can't think in danmaku terms against these things. Distance also affects it. The best way to fight is with a combination of physical weapons and stronger magic at close range."

"Do they use magic?"

"Kind of. Almost all just random shots, and most can barely fire off any at all. Magician-types can fire off a hell of a lot, but I don't see any of those. The shots can be deflected or destroyed with weapons. Getting hit hurts more than you'd think, though."

"Can they fly?"

"Only certain types."

"Then should we run?"

Mokou pointed up. "Tengu-types are above us. They fly, they're fast, and they can put out some sort of field that slows aerial movement. They're less resistant to magic, which is good, because going airborne and trying to close in doesn't really work very well. They won't deploy the field if you're only a few feet off the ground, though, or if you're only airborne for a couple seconds, so you can use it for combat moves. Expect them to stay in the air and not attack us; they only attack if you try to fly, and they tend to flee if they're the only ones left, so we don't really need to worry about them."

"Right. Um, do you think these things are waiting for something? Is that why they haven't attacked yet?"

"It hasn't happened before," Mokou said, "but then again, neither has Shades just standing around like this instead of attacking."

"So something's different what the hell is that thing?"

[BGM=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWSkW8TKrXc&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWSkW8TKrXc&feature=related)]

The creature that emerged looked like a human-type Shade, except several times larger. "I've never seen one that size," Mokou said. "Looks like it's what they were waiting for, though, because here they come!"

The Shades charged. Kaguya was ready to meet their charge, but Mokou held her back. As the Shades closed a wall of fire blazed into existence in their path. They charged right through it, but not unscathed. Many were burned, and others were burning. "Softening them up." Mokou dissipated the flames. "They'll die quickly now. Go!"

The two immortals attacked. Kaguya thrust her sword through one's chest, and as it fell to the ground, she swung the sword through another one's neck. But although the Shade recoiled in pain, its head remained attached. "Huh?"

"Don't ask me," Mokou said, grabbing one Shade and throwing it into another. "They don't suffer injuries for some reason. Damage them enough and they die, but until the point of death, it doesn't affect them in any way." Mokou impaled a Shade until it fell to the ground.

Kaguya formed a magic field around herself. Reaching her would require passing through it, enduring the pain and damage it caused. But to Kaguya's surprise, the Shades did exactly that. Taken off guard, Kaguya was unable to react in time. They would have struck her if not for Mokou igniting them with her flames. "Really, Kaguya? You're letting them almost get you like that? You're a better fighter than this."

Kaguya threw a Shade to the ground and stomped on its head. "You've been my only enemy for hundreds of years. I may be a little rusty when it comes to fighting anyone else. Also, how the hell was I supposed to know they'd charge right through that? Are they suicidal or something?"

A group of fairy-typed leapt onto Mokou, only to be flung off by an explosion of flame. "I believe I mentioned that they attack mindlessly."

"Then why's the big one just standing there? Why isn't it attacking?"

"I've never seen one of those before. How the hell should I know?"

Kaguya leapt over a Shade and impaled it from behind. "How the hell should I know what you know?"

Mokou cut through a Shade vertically. "Shut up and fight!"

Kaguya sent a barrage of lasers through a group of human-types, keeping them staggered as she ran in and cut through them. "You shut up and fight!"

Mokou slammed a Shade into the ground and bashed its head against a rock. "You're the one asking questions! Right, almost done."

"Just a few left, but the big one's coming in!"

"I'll handle the big one," Mokou said. The only weapons the larger Shade had were its fists, and as Mokou ran at it, it took a swing. Mokou ducked under the strike, cutting at the arm as it passed over her. She leapt over it, spinning around and carrying a slash into its back all the way down its leg to the ground. It tried to kick her, but she ducked around its foot and cut it through the ankle.

The Shade turned around and reached for Mokou. Mokou jumped on top of its hand and ran up its arm, thrusting her sword through its head. It tried to grab her, but she pushed away and jumped back to the ground. The Shade faced Mokou and swept its arm close to the ground, sending out a crescent-shaped blast that caught Mokou off-guard. _Gah! The damn thing uses magic?_

Mokou circled around the Shade, waiting for another blast, and before long, the Shade fired one off. Mokou immediately charged the creature, leaping over the blast and thrusting her sword into its eye-or, rather, into whatever the odd-looking thing was that was where the eye should be.

Mokou rebounded off the ground. She stuck her sword into the Shade's arm and swung around, cutting all the way around the arm. Then she kicked off and slashed down the length of the other arm before rebounding off it. She landed on the Shade's head and thrust her sword straight down. The Shade staggered, paused, and then fell to the ground, dead. And like all dead Shades, its form faded away, leaving no sign of the creature that had been there just a few seconds ago.

[end BGM]

Kaguya came up beside Mokou. "Pretty good. I finished off the other ones. And you were right about the tengu ones; they're gone. Why do the bodies vanish like that?"

"One more thing nobody knows."

"Right," Kaguya said. "Okay, there's the orange tint, these Shades, and I'm assuming there's a few things I haven't seen yet. Maybe you should tell me just what all happened over the last five hundred years."

"I'll tell you what I know. It began five hundred years ago, on the day you attacked us. I was underground and didn't witness it, but the beginning of all this was an event known as the Radiance. Many things changed in that instant, such as the sky, and it's also when the Shades first appeared.

"Nobody knows what the Radiance actually was, or what caused it; only its effects are known. Those include the sky and the Shades, and also…"

* * *

_Many people died when the Shades appeared, but no deaths had more impact than those of Reimu Hakurei and Yukari Yakumo._

_Gensokyo is a land separate from the outside world, a place for that which the outside world no longer believes exists. It is kept separate by the Hakurei Border, named for the family line that created it and has maintained it since its creation a couple thousand years ago. If the border were to fall, it would mean Gensokyo's end._

_The border is tied to the Hakurei Shrine. Not the physical structure, of course; that has been destroyed multiple times. No, the border is tied to the shrine's spiritual properties. But that alone is insufficient to maintain it. It must also be tied to the power that created it, the power of the Hakurei maidens. Without that connection to a living Hakurei maiden, the border would collapse. And in the initial Shade attacks, Reimu was killed and the shrine destroyed._

_By the date of the Radiance, Reimu did, in fact, have a daughter. And that daughter was not killed. The witch Marisa Kirisame did not arrive in time to save Reimu, but she was able to rescue Reimu's daughter, Renia. Renia was not yet a shrine maiden and did not have the connection to the border, but she would as soon as the ritual was performed. There was, however, a problem: Renia was an infant, not even six months old. Someone so young could not withstand the spiritual effects of the ritual; had it been performed, it would have killed her._

_At the time, of course, I had no idea what was happening; Byakuren and the rest of us were far too busy at the temple. We, along with most others, learned of these events later on from Ran Yakumo, Yukari Yakumo's former shikigami._

_Yukari's power over boundaries should have enabled her to sustain the border long enough for Renia to become old enough to withstand the ritual, but she found herself unable to stabilize the border. The Shades' attack had somehow damaged it. Somehow-likely because of some property of whatever the hell the Shades are-when they destroyed the physical shrine, they also affected it spiritually, and whatever effect they had on it carried over to the border._

_Given that nobody knows exactly how the border ended up damaged, I should probably stop trying to explain it and get to the effects. The border had become corrupted, and as a result, it was resistant to Yukari's abilities. Which was a problem, as the border was beginning to collapse and Yukari's intervention was needed. But Yukari kept trying. She gave it everything she had, and eventually, she succeeded in stabilizing the border, as well as purging it of the corruption from the Shade attack. But what she did had two major side-effects. One of these, of course, was her death. She had given everything she had to stabilize the border, given too much, and though she succeeded in saving the border, doing so cost her her life. That was one side-effect. As for the other, well..._

_Saving the border had required Yukari to completely seal it. I don't know what exactly she did, but it had the effect of strengthening the border and making it absolute. Before, it had separated Gensokyo from the outside worlf, but after, it cut Gensokyo off from other worlds, as well. It is no longer possible to travel to or from the Netherworld, or Makai, or Higan (although it's assumed that people still end up there when they die). Gensokyo is cut off from all other worlds. The underground is still accessible, of course, as it is part of Gensokyo, and the same goes for heaven. But any place that is not part of Gensokyo, any place that was merely connected to Gensokyo, can no longer be reached. Gensokyo had been saved, but only at the cost of isolation._

_When she was old enough, Renia underwent the ritual to become the Hakurei maiden. Yukari's actions saved the border, but according to Ran, it was still most likely not completely stable without a connection to a Hakurei maiden. Any collapse would take far, far longer, leaving a significant margin in case of similar situations, but eventually, even if it took hundreds of years, the border would collapse without a Hakurei maiden to sustain it. Renia inherited her mother's task, and she passed that task down to her daughters. Thus, the Hakurei line and its duty still remain._

* * *

"So basically," Kaguya said, "you don't know what this 'Radiance' was, and you don't know what caused it. It spawned the Shades, which you don't know the nature of. The land is basically dying, and you don't know why. Shade activity has been on the rise recently, and you don't know why. There's this 'Black Scrawl' thing that nobody knows anything about. Is that everything, or is there anything else you don't know?"

"Look, nobody knows what the hell happened, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, fine. Different topic, then. Why'd you get me out?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's been five hundred years since I was thrown into that room, but you only now got me out. Why? What prompted you to do so?"

"Nothing I'm interested in telling you about," Mokou said. "It's kind of personal."

"Was it the hell raven? Did she decide I'd been punished enough?"

"No," Mokou said. "Quite the opposite. She's more pissed off at you than ever. She's been talking about killing your people in retaliation for what you did. And that's in addition to leaving you in a star."

"Killing my-wait, what?"

"She wants to break out of Gensokyo, go to the moon, and do to you what you did to her. And I don't think she's worrying about minimizing casualties."

"W-why?"

"Look, I don't know what happened, okay? About a month ago, she just lost it, I don't know why. I think she'd almost forgotten about you, but now she's suddenly obsessed. I don't know what the hell happened, but it drove her over the edge. She's starting to remind me of the damned Shades, okay?"

"The Shades?"

"She's suddenly gone hostile towards an entire people. That's one step closer to the Shades."

"Wait, so you think they did something to her, and you think this because she's been acting a little bit closer to how they behave? You think that her hating my people proves that she's turning into one of them? Well, let me tell you something: I did _plenty_ to cause her to hate me, and I'm Lunarian royalty, a representative of my people. I can easily see her hatred turning to all of us. If she hates my people, it's my fault. Shades have nothing to do with it."

"There was a Shade attack," Mokou said. "On the day her attitude changed, Shades attacked the underground. Before the attack, she was normal, and after it, she was the way she is now. I don't know what happened to her during that attack, but whatever it was is the reason she changed."

"Oh. Um..."

"Forget it, Kaguya."

The pair was silent for a while. Eventually, Kaguya spoke. "Well, you got me out. What's next?"

"I assume your first thought is to return to Eientei."

"Yes. Um, is everyone else still there?"

"That," Mokou said, "is a good question. Eientei has… changed. One more thing nobody knows the cause of. Or the nature of the change. What I can tell you is that apparently nobody's been able to truly get inside. They can enter, yes, but no matter what, they always end up coming out, regardless of which passages they take. The place is… warped, I guess."

"Then I have to go there. I have to see what's happening. But… I don't recognize this part of the forest. Which way is Eientei?"

"It's been five hundred years, Kaguya. Of course you don't recognize the forest. You've missed five hundred years of growth."

"Good point. So, which way?"

"None right now," Mokou said. "We'll go tomorrow, not while it's dark. There's an abandoned hut just over that way. Not good for much more than a roof over your head these days, but it's usable. I've been using it, as it turns out that my old home isn't there anymore. Not surprising, given how long I've lived underground, but it did mean I had to find somewhere else. So I'm using this abandoned hut. It's my home now, and I'm heading back there for the night. I've got some food prepared, and it's a place to sleep. I'll take you to Eientei tomorrow; if you want to go now, you're on your own."

Kaguya took a moment to think. "Well, I guess you know the current world better than I do. If you think it's best to wait until morning, I will."

"Shades are more active at night. It's better to wait until day."

"Very well, then. We'll go tomorrow."

* * *

The ruined Temple of Myouren was a familiar sight, although it had been some time since Nue had last been there. As planned, she'd left for the ruins in the morning. Byakuren was not with her; she'd remained in the village, providing aid to those in need as she always did. This investigation was Nue's task. But despite Byakuren's absence, Nue was not alone at the temple, as she saw upon her arrival. Another was standing among the ruins.

The oni Yuugi Hoshiguma turned to face Nue as she landed. "Nue. Wasn't expecting to see you here."

"And I wasn't expecting to see you," Nue said. "What are you doing here, Yuugi?"

"Shades seem to be gathering here. I came to kill 'em. You?"

"I'm looking into why Shades would be gathering here. Byakuren and I think it may have something to do with the mausoleum."

"The mausoleum?"

Nue nodded. "If nothing else, one would expect such a location to appeal to the Shades, given their apparent dislike of sunlight. But until now, there hasn't been any sign of them moving in this direction."

"I came through here a couple weeks ago," Yuugi said. "Thought the same thing, that the place would have a bunch of Shades, but it didn't. It's only over the past couple days that I've heard people saying Shades were heading this way. And I've already checked what's left of the temple. No Shades up here, so if they have been coming here, then they've got to be down below. I was about ready to head down when you showed up. You're heading down, too, right? Let's go in together."

"I had the same thought," Nue said. "Let's go."

* * *

_Yuugi hates the Shades. Nobody is exactly fond of the shades, of course, but Yuugi's hate is on an entirely different level. An understandable one, though._

_A month ago, there was a Shade attack underground. Hardly the first time Shades had shown up down there, of course, and whenever they did, the oni took 'em out without a problem. But this time was different._

_The underground is the former site of hell, called the Hell of Blazing Fires. And although hell relocated long ago, the blazing fires remain. For a long time, the only way to reach them was through the Palace of Earth Spirits, but when the reactor project began, a new way in was made, and it was that path by which the Shades got in._

_The Palace of Earth Spirits sits on a hill far above the city, set against the edge of the underground. The massive cavern that houses the fires is within this hill. When Hell was underground, the fires were spread throughout the entire area, with only the hill rising above them. When hell was moved, the fires were contained within the location now knows as the Former Hell of Blazing Fires, a place where none but the kasha and the hell ravens could survive. Any of the fires that remained outside simply died out. This was thousands of years ago, and the fires were contained within from then on. Until the Shade attack._

_As with everything else about the Shades, how they did it is a mystery; breaching the containment, set up by the Yamaxanadu herself, was supposed to be impossible. But when the Shades attacked, it was breached, and the fires poured out. Once again, the fires flooded the underground, only the hill and the palace remaining above them._

_The oni had almost no warning, and most perished in the flood of flames. Some, however, did manage to make it out, including Yuugi, one of the four Devas. Another Deva, Suika, had been living above-ground since before the Radiance, so she, of course, also survived. Neither of the other Devas did, though, and most of the oni died with them. The surviving oni fled to the surface. They've taken up residence in a small, formerly uninhabited area of the Forest of Magic._

_Until Suika first came to the surface, the oni were spoken of mainly in myths and legends. Because of this, the region of the forest they inhabit has come to be known as the Forest of Myth. It is Yuugi's home, too, but she spends little time there. She hunts the Shades, now, in vengeance for the deaths of her people. She's been to the human village a couple times, eager to hear of any Shade sightings. It's not really a surprise, then, that with Shades apparently heading towards the temple and/or the mausoleum, she would head there as well._

* * *

The path to the mausoleum lay beneath the graveyard behind the temple. Nue led Yuugi to the cemetery, through the passage beneath it, and into the mausoleum.

Yuugi took a look around the massive entry hall. "Pretty impressive," she said. "You've been here before, right?"

"Just a couple times," Nue said. "I know the basic layout of the place, but I wouldn't say I'm very familiar with it. Miko's group used this place, not us."

"Doesn't really look like a mausoleum."

"Yeah, don't ask me why they call it that. The full name is 'Dream Palace Great Mausoleum'."

"Well, the 'palace' part is certainly a more accurate description, but, well, I'm not really sure I can say it looks too much like one of those, either. Kind of, but not quite. Almost like a cross between a palace and a mansion. Guess it doesn't matter, though. Let's go kill some Shades."

* * *

"You said Eientei's been warped," Kaguya said. "Any dangers in the area?"

"Not that I know of," Mokou said. "Well, except for any Shades that wander close. Those damn things are everywhere."

"You think we'll run into another group?"

"How the hell should I know? There's no telling when or where those things will show up."

"So you basically know nothing about what to expect."

"Shut it," Mokou said. "Come on, let's just go."

* * *

[BGM=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaf7JuTKc8o&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaf7JuTKc8o&feature=related)]

Yuugi slammed a Shade into the wall, then took hold of the creature's arm and tore it off. Then Nue finished it off with a trident through the chest area. "You seem to enjoy doing that," she remarked as the Shade fell to the ground.

"It's satisfying," Yuugi said. "Plus, it gets good reactions from people who think Shades can't be injured, just damaged and killed. Guess they don't realize you can rip limbs off them. Course, most people don't have enough strength to do it. That's basically just an oni thing."

"You can blow limbs off if you channel magic in. Pretty much requires a magic-imbued weapon that's pierced into it. Most people just don't bother to try it; there are more efficient ways to take the things out."

"Not as satisfying, though," Yuugi said. "Right, that makes a grand total of three Shades so far, all human-types. So much for the damn things gathering here."

"Can't you feel it? There's something here. I can't tell what, but there's something. I think it's fairly small, but it's there."

"You know oni don't have the same level of magical sensitivity as other youkai. If it's a small thing, I'll sense it once we're close. You'll have to lead the way. Is it on this floor, or are we going further up?"

"We're on the top floor," Nue said, "so no, we're not going higher. And yes, it's here. It seems to be in… this direction."

Nue set off down the hall, Yuugi following behind her. Before long, they entered a small room, empty and, except for another door on the opposite wall, completely featureless. "Right," Yuugi said, "the hell's the point of this?"

Through the door was another room just like the first one. Except that this one wasn't empty. It was full of large cube blocks, many right next to each other. "Okay," Yuugi said, "forget the last room. What's the point of this one?"

Nue examined the arrangement of blocks. "This is deliberate," she said. "The blocks were arranged like this deliberately."

"Looks pretty random to me. And look, there's a couple blocking the next door."

"And the doors seem to be opening towards us, which means they can't be opened with blocks in the way. That's one of the things that jumped out at me. In addition, those two blocks are blue-ish, and the others are brown."

"So…?"

Nue walked over to one of the blue block and pulled it. "Damn, these things are heavy. No way a human could move one, at least not alone." After mobbing it two block-lengths back, she pulled the other one back. But it could only be pulled one block-length before one of the brown blocks was in the way. But there was now a clear space to the side, which Nue pushed it into. "There we go."

"Um…"

"It's a puzzle," Nue said. "You have to move the blocks the right way in order to move on." She pushed one of the brown blocks, but it didn't move even slightly. "Thought so. Only the blue ones are movable."

"…Why the hell would someone make something like this?"

"No clue," Nue said. "Come on."

The next room held another block puzzle. This time, five blue blocks were arranged in a T shape, with the head of the T against the door slightly off-center, leaving only half the leftmost block of the head actually in front of the door. Brown blocks were positioned a half-length away from either end of the head, and others a half-block away from the stem blocks. More brown blocks completed the enclosure, preventing the blue ones from being simply pulled away.

Nue examined the arrangement briefly, then went to work. "Okay, bottom one to the left… next one to the right and in beside the bottom one… middle stem block pulled out and moved left… right stem block a half-length over and back to beside the center stem block… left stem block a half-length to the left… aaaaaaaaaand done."

Another block puzzle awaited them in the next room. "This one looks trickier," Nue said. "Give me a minute."

"To hell with this," Yuugi said. She jumped onto one of the blocks in front of the door and tore the door out of the wall. "There," she said, tossing the door aside.

"…That works, too," Nue said. "Right, let's go."

They moved on, Yuugi simply removing the doors in order to bypass the block puzzles. Before long, they came to another empty room. This time, the next door was on the right wall. "Okay," Yuugi said, "I'm feeling something now."

"It'll be in the next room, I think. Come on."

The room they entered was longer and wider, and kind of had the look of a hallway, although far wider than most. There were two notable features immediately visible. One was the altar-like structure at the other end, flanked by two worn-colored, lance-holding, armored stone statues. But it was the other that demanded immediate attention. "Well," Yuugi said, "I think we've found the Shades."

"All fairy-types," Nue said. "Huh. Right, let's-whoa!"

One of the Shades let loose a brief barrage of magic. Despite being caught by surprise, Nue and Yuugi had no difficulties dodging it, thanks to their experience in danmaku fights.

"That's the kind of burst you don't see from any Shades but magician-types," Nue said. "Are there magician/fairy combo Shades now?"

"Fight now, think later."

"Probably a good idea. Let's go."

[end BGM]

* * *

_The magic used by Shades is different from any other magic known. It's actually most like danmaku. Like danmaku, Shade magic consist of multiple shots. Danmaku shots tend to be varied in form, but Shade shots are always reddish spheres. In addition, danmaku is meant to be non-lethal, but Shade shots actually are harmful, and in fact much more damaging than one might expect. They can, however, be blocked with weapons, as well as destroyed with weapon strikes or magic of one's own. And, interestingly enough, when destroyed, the magic that formed the shots remains for a brief moment before dissipating, during which time you can use it for your own magic._

_Most Shades don't use magic at all. They can normally only manage a few scattered shots, which is fairly worthless. Some varieties can do better, though. Magician-types, of course, are the most obvious example, and they do fire more than any other types, but tengu-types and others can fire off decent numbers, as well. The 'patterns', though, are quite rudimentary and barely qualify as patterns. And that's when the shots aren't just in a scattered burst. The most you'll see from a Shade is a vertical wall, or periodic waves, or maybe a spiral pattern._

_As with everything else about the Shades, nobody knows why their magic is the way it is. It's just one more strange thing about them._

* * *

Yuugi finished off the last Shade with a punch to the face. "Right, then. Nue, you're the one who wants to know why they're here. Think it has something to do with that altar?

[BGM=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQGHOOBAyzQ&feature=relmfu&fmt=18](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQGHOOBAyzQ&feature=relmfu&fmt=18)]

Before Nue could answer, the two stone statues stepped away from the wall and readied their weapons. "That's new," Nue said.

The statues charged, one at Nue and the other at Yuugi. Nue leapt to the side and hit it with a beam as it ran by. Yuugi,on the other hand, met her statue's charge head-on, avoiding its lance and delivering a punch to its torso, sending it flying into the wall. "What the hell?"

Nue's statue stopped its charge and turned to face Nue again. This time, Nue leapt over it as it charged. "What?"

Yuugi's statue was getting up. "I don't think they're made of stone. That did not feel like stone when I punched it."

Nue landed and fired another beam. "Then what did it feel like?"

"It felt like a Shade."

"Are you saying these things are Shades?"

"No idea, but I'd bet they take damage like 'em. We can think once they're dealt with."

"Right."

Yuugi's statue charged. Yuugi met its charge again, but this time the statue jumped over her, thrusting its lance downwards. Yuugi sidestepped and grabbed the lance, which the statue still held, and swung it, slamming the statue into the ground. Yuugi tried to swing it overhead and slam it down again, but this time the statue let go of the lance during the upwards arc, slamming down on top of Yuugi.

Nue sidestepped a strike from her statue and thrust at it with her trident. Yuugi, it seemed, was right; the trident didn't impact as though it had hit stone; it instead pierced into the statue, and when Nue swung it to the side, it moved as though it was passing through the strange combination of substance and nothing that was a Shade's physical form.

The statue spun around, swinging its lance at Nue like a sword. Nue leaps over the strike onto the statue's head and thrust her trident into it. She pulled her trident out, then found that the statue was no longer beneath her; Yuugi had thrown hers into it, and both impacted the wall.

Both statues got to their feet, but then the one Yuugi had been fighting knelt down, and a barrier formed around it. "A new trick," Yuugi said. "Seems like a dumb one, too. Looks like it has to stay in that position to use the barrier. Which makes this two against one."

The other statue took hold of the barrier, lifted it-the first statue still inside-and threw it. Nue and Yuugi dove to the sides, and the thrown statue hit the wall. But upon hitting the wall, it bounced off. Nue leapt over it as it came at her. "Shit!"

"Guess it's not so dumb a trick."

"Yeah, watch out. The damn thing's bouncing all over the room."

"I'll take care of that," Yuugi said. "You deal with the other one."

"Be careful."

"Like hell." Yuugi watched the protected statue as it bounced around the room. As soon as it was on a path that would bring it close to her, she got in its path and held her hands out. It hit her, and she pushed against it as hard as she could. It pushed her back at first, but she soon halted it.

Nue charged the non-barriered statue. She fired beams from the tips of her trident, hitting the statue's weapon, but the statue kept hold of it. Nue cut off the beams and threw her trident into the statue's face. It swung at her as she approached, but she leapt over the strike, pulling her trident out of its face. She landed on its head and was about to thrust her trident in, but then she saw what Yuugi was doing and got the hell out of the way.

Yuugi picked up the barriered statue and threw it at the active one, sending both into the wall. The barriered one bounced back at Yuugi, who stopped it again. The other statue was motionless for a moment, and then it fell to pieces.

As it couldn't move on its own with the barrier active, the remaining statue dropped the barrier and thrust its lance at Yuugi. Yuugi dodged the strike and kicked its hand, knocking the lance out of its grasp. She picked the lance up and threw it, sending it right through the statue's left eye. The statue staggered forward, then fell to the ground.

[end BGM]

"Well," Yuugi said, "that was fun. Any idea what the hell was up with those things?"

"Not a clue," Nue said, "but it looked like they were protecting the altar. There may be a clue there."

The pair approached the altar, quickly seeing that yes, there was something there. Nue picked it up and examined it. The object was a stone tablet. The back side of the tablet was completely smooth, but the front had indentations in it. There were eight in total, forming a hexagonal pattern, and one of them had a smooth black object fitted in it. The indentations were all of different shapes; each one, obviously, corresponded to a specific object. "One of eight," Nue said. "I'd assume there are seven more of these black things somewhere."

"I don't really want to search this whole place for seven small whatevers," Yuugi said. "What about that inscription at the bottom? I can't read it; can you?"

"It's not a script I've seen before. We should ask Ari. And Miko, since this place used to be hers."

"I'll pass. I'm not interested in these odd mysteries. Do let me know if you ever have more Shades that need killing, though."

"That," Nue said, "I'll be sure to do."

* * *

"This is most unusual," Aki said. "In all my lives, I have never seen something quite like this."

Nue was in Ari's house; she'd gone there immediately upon her return to the village to show the Child of Miare the tablet. And Byakuren had come, as well. "I have seen many such objects during my life," Byakuren said. "What makes this one unusual?"

"The inscription. Or inscriptions, as I should say. This may look like one inscription, but it is actually two."

"How can you tell?" Nue asked.

"They are written in different scripts. And I only know one of the scripts, so I can only tell you part of what's written here."

"And what does that part say?"

"It says, 'The eight pieces face the shade's black mark. Seek with them the agent of change.'"

"Cryptic," Byakuren remarked.

"'Black mark'," Nue said. "Do you think it means the Black Scrawl?"

"You think so?" Ari asked.

"She's hoping so," Byakuren replied. "Nue jumps at anything that might involve the Black Scrawl."

"Understandably."

"That's certainly true enough. But, Nue, even if that is what it's referring to, it still gives nothing to go on."

"It said all eight pieces," Nue said. "Right now, there's only one of them in there. Step one would be to find the other seven."

"With no clues as to their location," Byakuren said, "such a search would likely be futile. And that's assuming it's ever referring to the Black Scrawl at all."

"Obviously," Nue said. "Before I decide on anything, I'm taking the tablet to Seafront. Miko or one of her people may know something."

"I find it unlikely that any of them knows of this object."

"They may recognize the second script, though," Ari said. "I cannot read it myself, but it does have similarities to the scripts of various temples and such. Given where it was found, it's not unreasonable at all to think that one or more of Miko's group know it."

"A good point. And I doubt I could stop Nue from going, anyways."

"You've got that right," Nue said. "If there's even a chance this can help save you, I'm not passing it up."

"I understand," Byakuren said. "Hmm… you know, it really has been too long since I last spoke with Miko. I think I shall accompany you to Seafront, Nue."

* * *

"Woah," Kaguya said.

"I did tell you Eientei was warped," Mokou said.

"Yeah, but I wasn't expecting… is it on its side and upside-down simultaneously?"

"I don't know what the hell's up with the place."

"How do we get in?"

"The entrance is where it's always been, even if it's not."

"What?"

"Just go in from where the entrance is supposed to be," Mokou said. "Even if you don't see anything there, it'll work. Or it did when I tried it, at least."

"You have Eientei memorized to the extent that you can find the exact location of the entrance without being able to see it in any reliable way?"

"Even after five hundred years underground, I still know it better than you ever have. Although we're on equal footing once we get inside."

"You're coming in with me?"

"I want to know what happened to everyone here, too. I haven't been able to make any sort of progress, but you may pick up on something I've missed."

"I see."

"Come on, let's get this over with."

* * *

Nue and Byakuren left right away. Ari was going to look into the object and its inscriptions, but with her perfect memory, she didn't need it in order to do so. "Unfortunately, remembering everything doesn't mean I'm aware of its significance," she'd said. "There are no direct references in anything I've seen to such an object, which means indirect references, connections I was not able to see before. Exact textual representations may be important. I'll need to cross-reference multiple volumes, compare with additional material, look for possible word games, consider-"

Nue and Byakuren had left soon after, heading south towards the ocean town of Seafront. On their way out, they made a slight detour to see Keine. "Ah, Byakurem," she said upon seeing the pair. "And Nue, too. What can I do for you?"

"We have business in Seafront," Nue said. "We wanted to let you know where we were heading. You know, in case someone's trying to find us.

Keine nodded. She was quite used to being treated as the village problem-solver; people often came to her asking for any number of things. Nue came to her often for information on possible jobs. "Got it," Keine said.

"Will you be all right with us both gone?" Byakuren asked. "By which I mean will the villagers be all right? With both myself and Nue gone, there may be concern, given the increased Shade activity we've been seeing recently."

"We've got fighting ability here," Keine said. "My own presence-as I've told you many times before-should be enough to comfort them, and I believe Yuugi Hoshiguma is in the village as well. At a bar, no doubt, but she is here."

"Yeah, I saw her at the temple earlier," Nue remarked.

"In addition, Tenshi should be here soon. In fact, she really should have arrived already. I have to wonder what's keeping-"

Keine was cut off by an object impacted the ground hard nearby. The dust kicked up quickly cleared, revealing the form of Tenshi Hinanai stepping off of one of her keystones. "Hi."

Keine sighed. "How many times have I told you not to do that?"

"Not enough."

"Aparently. Stones falling from the sky doesn't really help the people's nerves, you know."

"Yeah, yeah." Tenshi and Keine embraced. "Sorry I'm late."

The pair separated after a moment. "What kept you?" Keine asked.

"The recent upswing in Shade activity has heaven's leadership up in arms; it took me longer than expected to get away. They're still trying to get me to take part, to 'assume a role befitting the eldest child of the Hinanai.' The fact that I don't want anything to do with the celestial bureaucracy doesn't seem to register with them at all."

"The fact that you're the reason heaven has lost so little to the Shades may also be a factor."

"Hey, it's not my fault none of them could fight worth a damn until the Shades showed up and gave everyone a reason to learn. Me and Iku were the only good fighters up there, and she had other duties, so it's not my fault I ended up as the fighting teacher, either. And I only did it 'cause it was fun, anyways. Doesn't stop the leadership from seeing it as me 'finally becoming worthy of the name 'Hinanai', though."

"Right," Nue said, "we'll leave you two to talk about heaven. Come on, Byakuren, let's get going."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Keine/Tenshi. That pairing just appeals to me for some reason, I'm not really sure why.
> 
> So Nue had her first adventure, based on NieR's first dungeon area, the Lost Shrine. And she had some help, too. Yuugi's going to have a fairly large role, so we'll be seeing her again. I think a lot of us've wanted to take her approach to block puzzles.
> 
> For those of you who aren't familiar with NieR, I should mention that the way I described the Shade's magic is _actually how enemy magic works in the game_. Yes. They put danmaku in a hack-and-slash. Don't ask me why. All I know is that somehow, it works.
> 
> Well, that's all for this chapter. The next one will include Eientei, Seafront, and the first appearance of another character with a large role, so you can look forward to that.
> 
> And, of course, reviews are appreciated. The more you tell me, the better I can make this story.


	3. Chapter 3: Daughter of the Lost Ruin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nue and Byakuren visit the town of Seafront to find someone who can fully translate the tablet from the mausoleum. Meanwhile, Kaguya and Mokou begin their exploration of Eientei, only to be interrupted by a presence Mokou knows well.

**Chapter 3  
** _Daughter of the Lost Ruin_

 

"Things look remarkably normal," Kaguya said, gazing around Eientei's entrance hall. "A couple more hallways that I remember, but that's about it. Well, that, and there are usually people here."

At that moment, a… thing, somewhat resembling a rabbit youkai, wandered out of one of the hallways, seemingly unaware of anyone else's presence as it sang to itself

" _Restless souls will put on their dancing shoes_

_Mindless ghouls with lot of limbs to lose_

_Illusionists, contortionists,_

_Tightrope walkers tightening the noose."_

The creature, despite walking in a straight line, somehow ended up reentering the corridor it had emerged from. "That was… bizarre," Kaguya remarked.

"That was nothing," Mokou said. "Just wait until you're in three different rooms at the same time. While standing on the floor and ceiling simultaneously. Things get really strange in here."

"Right," Kaguya said, "let's just start exploring." She picked a hallway and started towards it, only to suddenly run into a wall. "Ow! Since when the hell is there a wall here? And why the hell can't I see it?"

"There isn't one," Mokou said. She walked right through the spot where Kaguya had hit a wall without difficulty. "It was just a random momentary shift. They happen."

"Right."

"About the only thing I can guarantee is that if you keep moving in one direction, you'll eventually get outside. Aside from that, nothing is certain, although I can say that it's very unlikely we'll get separated. Possible, but very unlikely."

"…Okay. Um, is any direction better than the others?"

"Nope. There's no guarantee you'll even be in the hallway you walk into."

"…Right. Let's just get moving."

* * *

Miko was never very hard to find, but seeing her immediately upon entering the town was not what Nue and Byakuren had expected.

Miko saw the pair and approached. "Byakuren, Nue. It's been a while, so I hate to do this right away, but there may be a situation. I was about to make an attempt of my own to resolve it, but I think you two-especially you, Byakuren-may be a much better choice."

"We came here to ask you about something," Byakuren said. "We will gladly aid you in return."

"Right," Nue said. She produced the tablet and handed it to Miko. "While we're helping you, you can look into this. I found it in your old mausoleum; I went in there earlier to investigate a possible Shade presence, and found a bunch of Shades in a room with that object, which was guarded by a pair of animate stone statues."

"I… I don't know of anything like that," Miko said. "Are you sure?"

"Very."

"Well, I'll see what I can do. If nothing else, some of this writing looks familiar. I think it's a script the Mononobe clan favored. I can't read it, but Futo probably can. I'll have her take a look at it."

"Thanks. Now, tell us about this 'situation'."

"Of course," Miko said. "There's an unknown youkai nearby. Head east along the beach and you'll find her. Nobody's seen her before today, and nobody knows who she is. Nobody's been able to get anything out of her, either. She has a tendency to ramble on about, well, things; nobody's been able to make much sense of it. People have tried to talk to her, but that quickly stopped. She attacks people seemingly at random. I sent Seiga to check it out, and the woman attacked her on sight. I was going to go investigate myself, but I think you may be the better choice. Especially since you have a companion with you. This woman seems to be quite powerful; having an ally will be good if she attacks."

"I see," Byakuren said. "We shall go speak with her, then."

"Thank you. Hopefully, I'll have some information for you when you return."

* * *

_Seafront is, as the name suggests, an oceanfront town. And yes, there is an ocean in Gensokyo. Gensokyo is much larger than most people seem to think. Understandably, though; the size of the area that was originally separated to become Gensokyo was far smaller than Gensokyo's actual size. Don't ask me how that works, because I have no idea._

_Seafront, naturally, is a fishing town. It began as just an outpost, but as fishers saw continued success, more came. As often happens in such situations, the town sprang up around them. It's a fairly busy place, although it goes without saying that if the fishing stopped, the town would be done for. Not that there's much chance of that happening. In fact, fishing is one activity that actually hasn't become more dangerous, as no Shades have yet been encountered at sea._

_Miko's group set up in Seafront, just as Byakuren and I set up in the 'Human Village'. Unlike us, they suffered only one loss. Siega, Yoshika, Futo, and Miko are all still alive (well, except for Yoshika, since she's a jiang-shi). They do much the same sort of work as we do, although they are much more willing to accept payment than Byakuren. All in all, life in Seafront is about as good as it could be with Gensokyo as it is._

* * *

"That has to be her," Nue said.

The lone woman was standing on the beach, staring out at the ocean. She was fairly tall, and quite lean and muscular, in a way reminding Nue of an oni. She was wearing a simple yet elegant dress, violet in color. As Nue and Byakuren drew closer, they could see that it was covered by objects that appeared similar to scales.

At first, it looked like she was wearing something underneath the dress, as it could be seen on her legs and arms. And she was wearing something, but it wasn't ordinary clothing. It looked almost as though she had wrapped seaweed or something around her arms and legs, and there were streams of something similar-looking within her long, marine-blue hair.

"More people," the woman said, not bothering to even glance at the pair. "You… no, this is wrong. You shouldn't be here."

"I see," Byakuren said. "And why is that? Is there something dangerous about this location?"

The woman spun to face her, showing eyes that looked vaguely reptilian. "No. It is not this location."

_She's… distressed, it looks like,_ Nue thought. _Big time. And she looks about one step away from flipping out. We may have to fight her just to calm her down._ "Then what do you mean?"

"You shouldn't be here at all. Your kind should no longer exist in this world. But you do! Others like you do! This is not as things should be!"

"Please," Byakuren said, "stay calm. We want to help you."

[BGM=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoGQ5lNGlZA&fmt=18](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoGQ5lNGlZA&fmt=18)]

"Then vanish!"

The woman charged. Byakuren stood her ground, then sidestepped at the last second. She grabbed the woman's arm, spun her around, and took hold of her. "Please, we don't need to fight! What is it? What's upsetting you?"'

The woman broke free of Byakuren's grasp and kicked her in the chest, sending her sailing backwards. Nue leapt into the air, pointed her trident, and fired a beam at the woman. The woman, however, simply raised her arm, forming an energy barrier to block the attack.

Despite the distance Byakuren had been knocked back, it took her very little time to get back to the fight. She came in from behind the woman and knocked her off her feet. "We haven't even introduced ourselves! Why do you think us enemies?"

"You are aberrations, not enemies."

Nue landed opposite Byakuren. "Right. Um, just who the hell are you, anyways?"

A geyser erupted from underneath the woman, knocking the pair back. It soon vanished, leaving the woman, now upright, hovering about a foot off the ground. "I am she who lays waste to the fallen world of man. I am Levia!"

Byakuren charged again, meeting her in the air, but this time, Levia blocked her strike. The pair exchanged blows briefly, until Byakuren caught Levia's fist in her hand. "Impressive skill," Levia said. "Yours surpasses mine."

"Your skill is impressive, too," Byakuren said. "As is your strength; it matches mine."

Levia resumed her strike, breaking through Byakuren's grasp and connecting with her face. "It exceeds yours." She grabbed Byakuren by the arm and flung her into the ground.

Nue formed several UFO familiars, all green ones. They all fired beams at Levia, and Nue added her own. Levia raised another barrier, only to take a strong blast from behind. The illusion of Nue faded, revealing another UFO, as the real Nue closed in. She moved to strike with her trident, only to find her arm ensnared by a whip.

"You employ trickery, deception," Levia said.

"Yeah," Nue said, "but unlike some who fight that way, I've got power to put behind it."

"Not enough to match mine."

"Maybe so, but that's where the trickery comes in. Interesting choice of weapon, by the way. First time in Gensokyo I've seen someone wielding a whip."

"What better means to deliver the serpent's strike?"

_Serpent? Is that what she is? Some sort of serpent youkai? Sea serpent? Sea something, definitely._ "You do have a point."

At that moment, Byakuren ran in and tore Nue free from the whip. "Please, Levia, stop this! Whatever the issue is, we can settle it peacefully!"

"No!" Levia lashed with her whip, wrapping it around Byakuren. "Peace should have vanished! Peace should have been no more by the time I awoke!" She slammed Byakuren into the ground. "Why are you still here? Why do you still exist in this world? People like you should be gone!"

Byakuren grabbed the whip and yanked, pulling Levia to her. She grabbed Levia and flung her over her shoulder and into the ground, taking the opportunity to unwrap herself. "Why do you say this? What do you mean?"

"I mean that we do not belong in the world together! I awaken once the righteous are no more!" Levia leapt up and attempted to grab Byakuren, but Byakuren sidestepped, grabbed Levia's arm, and threw her down again. But this time, Levia quickly pushed off the ground and landed a double kick, knocking Byakuren back.

Nue sent in red UFOs, which circled around and above Levia, leaving stationary shots behind them. They were harmless to Nue herself, of course, and so Nue simply passed through them, grabbing Levia and carrying her into as many of the shots as she could. It didn't take too long for Levia to break free, though. She tried to grab Nue, but Nue evaded, and the two landed facing each other. "You're pretty tough," Nue said.

"My power is without match in the world of man."

"Yeah? Well, as you've probably figured out by now, this isn't exactly the world of man. This is Gensokyo. There are a lot of powerful people here, and you're facing two of them. Don't think you can win just because you're powerful, too."

"Then we shall just have to see what the outcome is."

Levia struck, but Nue ducked to the side, smacking Levia on the head with the side of her trident. Levia seemed unfazed by the blow, however, and moved to retaliate. But then Byakuren was there, pushing Nue out of the way and deflecting Levia's strike. "Please, stop fighting. Whatever the problem is, violence will not solve it!"

"Silence! You know nothing of that about which you speak!" Levia leapt back, towards the water. She raised her arm, and a massive wave rose up behind her. The wave split into two as she brought her arm down, and when she thrust her hand forward, they formed into dense columns of water that shot forward, one each targeting Nue and Byakuren.

Nue and Byakuren waited until the columns were close, then took to the air, allowing the water to pass harmlessly beneath them. "Stop that talk, Byakuren," Nue said softly. "She's only upset when talking about that. She's much calmer when we're just commenting on the battle. Worry about what's going on once we've won."

"I suppose you're right," Byakuren said. "Very well, then. Let's get it over with."

[end BGM]

* * *

Mokou walked out of Eientei, finding Kaguya waiting for her. "Took you long enough," Kaguya said. "Didn't take your own advice for leaving?"

"I did," Mokou said, "but there's no guarantee you'll get out immediately. I would assume that it simply took longer for me than it did for you. Even by Gensokyo's standards, whatever this place has turned into makes absolutely no sense."

"You've got that right. So, um, what now?"

"Excuse me?"

"You got me out," Kaguya said, "and you brought me here. What now? Are you planning on sticking around, or are you going to leave me to fend for myself?"

"I'm not leaving you alone just yet," Mokou said. "I didn't get you out of there just to leave you in the middle of nowhere. But don't think I plan on 'sticking around'. Once we've found somewhere for you to go, that's that."

"Then why do it at all? I understand why you and the hell raven had a falling out, but why rescue me? Just to spite her?"

"No," Mokou said. "Because putting you in there was wrong." _Far more wrong than what you did to me._ "I know very well how much you hate me right now, but even so, I'm not abandoning you in the middle of a changed land." _I've done enough to you already._

Kaguya sighed. "I knew you still felt that way. Mokou, I already told you; it wasn't you who threw me in there."

"Don't try to tell me I'm not guilty."

"No more guilty than I am."

"What I did to you was far worse than anything you've done to me."

"Really, Mokou? You think standing by while I was thrown into a star is worse than-"

Mokou held up her hand. "Wait. Do you sense that?"

"I sense… certainly something. What is it?"

"It's _her_." Mokou took off, flying quickly away.

_So much for not leaving me in a changed world,_ Kaguya thought. _Right, then._ She took off after Mokou.

* * *

Levia ensnared Nue in her whip, slamming her into the ground. Byakuren pulled Nue free and threw her at Levia. Levia caught Nue, only for Byakuren to grab her from behind, break her grip on Nue, and throw her into the ground.

Levia slowly got to her feet. "Your speed is as impressive as the rest of your physical performance."

"I specialize in self-enhancement," Byakuren said.

"I see. And your companion, though her style differs, is just as capable. I would not have thought that a mere two could do so well against me. Are people of such power common here?"

"There are strong people, weaker people, and everything in between. Not many are on the level of Nue and I, though there are some. You are finished with this fight, then?"

"I should never have attacked at all," Levia said.

"Yes, you should have," Nue said. "Sometimes, a good fight is exactly what you need."

"An interesting philosophy. And not one without merit, now that I consider it. The emotions that sparked my attack are still present, of course, but I have them under control. I think you are correct; the battle was helpful."

"Yeah. That sort of thing's pretty common here. We even have a system set up so we can fight without much risk of injury, and such battles are frequent. Or they used to be, at least; danmaku battles kind of became less frequent once the Shades appeared."

"Shades?"

"We can explain," Byakuren said, "but first, let us formally introduce ourselves. I am Byakuren Hijiri, and my companion is Nue Houjuu."

"I am Levia. And you can be honest; you desire to ask about me over providing such an explanation."

"I…"

"Do not concern yourself; I wish to discuss these matters, as well. It may be that doing so will be helpful to me."

"That's often true," Byakuren said. "All right, then. Where would you like to start?"

"I do not know what you desire to be told."

"Start with yourself," Nue said. "What exactly are you?"

"I am the one who lays waste to the world of man once the righteous have been taken."

"Taken," Byakuren said. "Taken where?"

"When the end comes, the righteous are to be granted eternity in paradise. When the end is to begin, they are taken by YHWH."

"Right," Nue said. "Who's Yah- Yeh- Y-"

"Most have difficulties with that word," Levia said. "It is commonly changed to 'Yahweh'."

"Yeah, it's a hard one. I'm not even sure that was technically a word. Were there even any vowel sounds in there?"

"No. That is one reason so many have trouble with it; it is unlike any word they have ever spoken. But we digress. You asked who YHWH is. The truth is that YHWH is not. He does not exist."

"Um…"

"I know of the realm I am in. I came into being in Gensokyo, and have slept here for a long time. I am aware of this world's nature. I have faded into the realm of legends, but YHWH has not."

"Please, tell us of this 'Yahweh'," Byakuren said, "and of these events you speak of."

"Very well. A full explanation would take a very long time, so I shall simply summarize the relevant information. First, YHWH. YHWH is God. Not a god as they actually exist. YHWH exists only in myth, and in that myth, he is the creator of all of existence. One of YHWH's direct servants, called 'angels', led a rebellion against him and was cast into Hell. This angel, Lucifer, more commonly known as 'Satan', is the source of evil. This evil infected the first humans, and the stain of sin was passed down from them and remains in all.

"YHWH decided to bring salvation to mankind. He manifested in the form of a son of himself, and that son died to redeem mankind."

"I think I've heard of that, actually," Nue said. "'Jesus', right?"

"Yes. The name of the son is Jesus Christ."

"Hold on," Byakuren said. "Nue, that name Sanae liked to call me, 'Youchrist', was that…?"

Nue nodded. "She was comparing you to Christ, yes. Apparently, there are similarities between the two of you. She told me about Jesus when I asked her what that name actually meant."

"I see." Byakuren turned back to Levia. "My apologies for that interruption, Levia. Please, continue."

"Worry not about it," Levia said. "I shall continue. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, mankind's sins are forgiven, but to find forgiveness, people must choose to seek it. They must truly regret their sins and truly desire to change their ways; only then are those sins forgiven. The wicked must become virtuous and regret their former wickedness before salvation is possible. As such, some will be saved, but others are beyond redemption."

"Nobody is beyond redemption," Byakuren said. "Everyone can change. Everyone can redeem themselves."

"But not everyone will. You recognize that, I hope."

"I do," Byakuren said. "It is sad, but true."

"Once everyone who will find redemption has done so, YHWH will take them into his realm, and it is this that begins the world's end. Satan will once more attempt to seize control, and YHWH will loose his judgment upon the world. I am a destroyer, unleashed to lay waste to the world of man. I sleep until the day of judgment, when the destruction of the apocalypse awakens me to fulfill my purpose."

_This isn't normal,_ Nue thought as she listened to Levia. _She was extremely upset, but now she's completely calm. I know damn well how much a good fight can help, but it's not this much. There isn't even a trace of her previous mood. And she was bouncing between calm and upset quick during the fight, too, wasn't she?_

"An interesting story," Byakuren said to Levia.

"But false," Levia said. "YHWH does not exist. His angels don't exist. Satan does not exist. The day of judgment will never come."

"You exist," Byakuren said. "How can you be so sure that your god does not? We do have gods here, after all. Yours could easily be among them."

"No. YHWH is not a god as they actually exist. This may be the land of magic and fantasy, but it has its own rules. A being such as YHWH simply cannot exist."

"How is it that you exist, then? Or do you know what brought you into being?"

"I am aware of my own nature," Levia said. "I am aware of much. I was asleep, but not completely unaware. I am aware of many things, including the nature of Gensokyo. And how I came to be here. Although much of the scriptures of YHWH's faithful is still thought to be true, the portion describing the end of the world is not. As one predicted date after another passed, as more and more doomsayers were proven wrong, belief in the foretold end waned. The 'Book of Revelations' is now thought of as not literal prophecy, but metaphorical prophecy. The events simply represent what's going to happen, and aren't actually the events that will occur.

"As I became considered by more and more to be nothing more than a legend, I came to exist here in Gensokyo, the home of such things. But I was asleep, asleep until the day of judgment."

"Which would never come," Nue said.

"Indeed. I should have simply slept forever."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because the end has come. Just not the right one."

"You mean the Radiance?"

"I am not familiar with what that is."

"Something that happened about five hundred years ago," Byakuren said. "It seems to be why Gensokyo is in its current state. But if the Radiance was the reason for your awakening, why didn't it awaken you when it happened?"

"Because it wasn't enough. Death, despair, panic, desperation, everything that comes from the end is necessary to trigger my awakening, and your 'Radiance' did not produce enough to wake me. Not at first. But it has been responsible for much more in the time since, and because this is from the same cause, it added to what was already there. It built up over time, until it reached a point sufficient to wake me."

"I see."

"It should not have happened," Levia said. "The end is not supposed to be drawn out like this, a world dying slowly but surely."

"We all wish it hadn't happened," Byakuren said. "None of us wanted it."

"You don't understand. There has been no judgment, no taking of the righteous from the world. I am to lay waste to the wicked ones left behind, but there was no leaving behind. The world should be breaking, coming undone as it is used as a battlefield in the battle between Satan and YHWH. I am an agent of that destruction. But this… it's all wrong. I have awakened in the midst of the wrong end, and because of this, my purpose is lost. This is not my world to ravage, but what am I, if not a destroyer? It's what I am, what I exist to do."

"Then find a new purpose," Byakuren said. "Give your life a meaning all its owaaaaah!"

Byakuren grabbed her arm as Nue ran to her. "Byakuren, are you okay? What is it?"

"Pain," Byakuren said. "Just pain."

"Not just pain," Levia said. "Something within you caused you pain. I could feel it as it did so. You have been tainted."

"The Black Scrawl," Nue said. "Damn it. The pain's starting."

"Far later than it should have," Byakuren said. "At this rate, assuming it can claim me, it will still be a few years from now."

"It won't take you," Nue said. "I won't let it."

"You may not be able to stop it."

"I'm going to," Nue said. "I even have a lead right now, remember?"

"A possible lead. We still don't know all of what it says."

"Then we should get back to Miko and see if she's had any luck."

Byakuren took a step forward. "Yes, let's." She paused. "It seems the pain has faded for now." She turned to Levia. "Levia, what will you do?"

"I don't know," Levia said. "You told me to find some new purpose, but how do I do that? And what will it be?"

"Only you can answer that," Byakuren said. "You'll know it when you find it."

"So I must find it on my own? With no idea where to begin?"

"I never said that."

"Just invite her along, already," Nue said. She turned to Levia. "She's going to ask if you want to come with us. She's big on the whole 'helping people' thing. And no, she won't expect anything in return."

"I do not know what I want," Levia said, "but for the moment, I have nowhere else to go. I shall accept your offer for the time being something is approaching."

"What are you talking about?" Nue asked.

"Exactly what I said. Something is coming."

"I don't sense anything. 'Ren, your sense is better than mine. Anything?"

"I don't sense any- never mind. Yes, I can sense it now. I don't think it's heading for us, or for Seafront, but its course will bring it closer to here."

"It is one of power," Levia said. "Great power. And in addition, I sense the touch of the divine."

Levia began walking off. "Hey," Nue said, "where are you going?"

"It calls to me."

"We should investigate," Byakuren said. "Can you sense it yet?"

"Yeah," Nue said, "I can. But are you okay?"

"I am. You know as well as I do that the pain will at first come only in bursts. It has passed for now. And we need to go. I recognize this… unique presence. I do not know why she is here, but… I feel we need to find out. Levia, we're coming with you."

"Very well," Levia said. She took to the air, the other two right behind her.

* * *

Mokou caught up to her where the woods gave way to the ocean. "Utsuho!"

The hell raven halted her flight, turning to face the immortal. "Mokou." She aimed the Third Leg at Mokou. "Give me one good reason not to incinerate you."

"Go ahead, if you think it'll help," Mokou said. "It's not like it matters. I'm immortal."

"Yes. As is Kaguya. Which is why we locked her away. But she escaped yesterday, and you were seen helping her. Why?"

"Does it matter? Face it, Utsuho; you've lost it. I don't think you're in a frame of mind to even care at all."

"Whatever. What do you want?"

"Utsuho, you know what I want."

"You want me to let Kaguya get away with what she did."

"Kaguya's been trapped in a star for the past five hundred years. What we did to her was far worse than what she did to us."

"You think five hundred years is enough to make up for what she did?"

"Five hundred years within a star? Absolutely."

"How can you say that? She killed Satori!"

"And long ago, she was responsible for my father's death, as well. That does not give us the right to subject her to eternal torture."

"Like you can talk! You've been after her for far longer than five hundred years!"

"And my pursuit of her never passed beyond killing. I've killed her countless times, but I've never subjected her to unending torture. And you'll also note that I only attacked her, not her family or Eirin or anyone she cares about. But you do want to do that."

"It's what she did!"

"And you would kill innocent bystanders because of this? She's the one who acted. Leave anyone else alone."

"She didn't!"

"Are you her, or are you you?"

"Unyu?"

"If you do what she did," Mokou said, "you'll be just as bad as her."

"Stop telling me I shouldn't get revenge! You wanted revenge, too!"

"Yes. For my father's death. But did I touch her father? Did the thought even cross my mind? No. The only one who should pay for a wrong is the one who committed it."

"She was suffering! Until YOU let her out!"

"She's paid enough." _More than enough._

"No she hasn't! Satori doesn't get to come back! Why should she?"

"Because we did worse that she did. I've killed her countless times, but that's it. That's where I drew the line. But with you, I crossed it, and because I did, we've done the greater wrong."

"Just shut up!" Utsuho fired a beam, which Mokou dodged. "I'm not stopping! Or are you going to try and stop me?"

_I don't want to, but it's the only choice you've left._ Mokou drew her sword.

* * *

[BGM=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uc_D20Qca0&fmt=18](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uc_D20Qca0&fmt=18)]

By the time Kaguya caught up, the battle was underway, and Mokou was losing. Badly. At the moment, she was missing an arm, and Utsuho had her by the neck, her control rod pointed at Mokou's head. And then Mokou didn't have a head, and Utsuho let her body fall to the ground.

Mokou would recover, of course, but Kaguya knew it would take a few minutes. _My turn, then._

Kaguya moved in quickly, drawing her sword and striking. Utsuho noticed her approach just in time, raising the Third Leg in defense. But Kaguya was able to divert her strike somewhat, catching Utsuho on her arm, just below the control rod.

"You," Utsuho said. "Good. I can put you back where you belong."

"Not happening," Kaguya said.

"Oh? Are you going to fight me, too? That won't work. You should've just gone into hiding. You can't win against me."

"Mokou told me what you're trying to do," Kaguya said. "I can't allow that."

"You deserve it. After what you did, you deserve it!"

Kaguya decided not to mention the fact that killing Satori had been completely accidental. "You have every right to hate me, but you will leave my family and my people out of it."

"Or what? Are you going to stop me?"

Kaguya pulled her sword free, delivering a kick to Utsuho's face as she put some distance between the two of them. "I am."

"And you actually think you can?"

"Let us see if your confidence is warrented. These Impossible Requests that have defeated so many in the past, how many can you fulfill? Fire Rat's Robe!"

Spellcards were rarely used outside of danmaku battles; danmaku patterns were much harder to form on command, so in such battles, the spellcard's lack of flexibility was more than made up for by providing quick access to complex patterns. Such patterns were fairly easy to form outside of danmaku, however, so spellcards were unnecessary. As were complex patterns; danmaku tended to be slower, and thus complexity was needed to overwhelm opponents. Non-danmaku combat wasn't like that, but many spellcard patterns could be easily adapted to be effective in non-danmaku battle. Calling out attack names wasn't truly necessary, but many did so anyways.

Flaming shots fired towards Utsuho in a three-dimensional spread. In addition, lasers were being fired at Utsuho's current position. The danmaku version required quick reflexes to avoid taking hits; the non-danmaku version was almost impossible to escape from unscathed. The spread shots were, however, fairly weak, and although there were a lot of them, even the number of hits Utsuho took did next to nothing. The lasers were stronger, but avoiding them was easy when ignoring the spread shots.

Utsuho formed nuclear energy into a boomerang and threw it at Kaguya. The moon princess maintained her own attack while dodging to the side, then shot up, anticipating and avoiding its return flight. But Utsuho wasn't done. She formed nuclear energy into a giant blade around the Third Leg and charged. "High-Tension Blade!"

Kaguya cut her own attack and dropped down underneath Utsuho. "You're a strong one. Buddha's Stone Bowl!"

Multiple familiars spread out around Utsuho's position. Many fired beams, restricting her movement, while others fired ordinary shots. Utsuho ignored the shots and took aim at Kaguya. "My turn. Giga Flare!"

The beam Utsuho fired put even the famed Master Spark to shame. Kaguya moved quickly and managed to receive only a glancing blow, but with a move like that, even a glancing blow was a powerful hit. And Utsuho didn't let Kaguya recover. Spreading her arms, she enveloped herself in nuclear energy. "Yatagarasu Dive!"

She dove, striking the dazed Kaguya head-on and sending her flying into the ground, dead. Then Mokou slammed into Utsuho from behind, sending her into the ground. Utsuho pushed of the ground, spun around, and fired one of her 'stars'.

Unlike the nuclear furnace Kaguya was in, Utsuho's battle moves didn't actually involve fire, not even nuclear flames. It was all nuclear energy (although radioactivity was also absent) and no fire, and as a result, Mokou's charms were not affected, nor did they activate-such charms ignored and were ignored by anything but what they were meant for. So they did not burn up when Mokou dove into the star. She passed through it quickly, throwing blades of flame at Utsuho as she emerged.

Utsuho met Mokou's charge head-on. As the two were about to collide, she dashed to the side, leaving spheres on nuclear energy in her wake. Mokou took hits as she spun around, attacking with her sword. Utsuho deflected the strike with her Third Leg, then fired from it a sphere of energy. Mokou dashed backwards to avoid it, but it burst into multiple spheres, some of which did connect. Then Utsuho grabbed her and drove her into the ground.

Kaguya ran in from the side, her sword sheathed. Utsuho made to grab her, but she ducked to the side and struck. Utsuho struck back, but it soon became apparent that Kaguya was quite skilled in the martial arts. So Utsuho hit her with a star at point-blank range. As Mokou had done, Kaguya simply dashed through it, quickly resuming her attack. As before, she was out-performing Utsuho, but she became momentarily distracted when she noticed that Utsuho was glowing, and that was all the hell raven needed. She slammed Kaguya down next to the recovering Mokou and held them both in place, her glow intensifying.

When Mokou regained consciousness, she knew immediately what was happening. _Oh, shit._

"Abyss Nova!"

[end BGM]

* * *

They arrived in time to witness the battle's final stages. "That's the hell raven," Nue said.

Byakuren nodded. "Utsuho Reiuji."

"You know her," Levia said.

"We have met a few times, but it would be more accurate to say that I know _of_ her."

"Tell me."

"She's a hell raven, a resident of the underground, location of the former Hell of Blazing Fires. As part of a plan to gather faith, the sky god Kanako infused her with the corpse of the Yatagarasu, giving her the dead sun god's power. Without the limitation of faith, as she is not a god herself. Kanako hoped to gain faith by useing Utsuho as a source of 'electricity', something used in the outside world."

"I am aware of what that is."

"I see. Well, Kanako hoped that providing it to Gensokyo would earn her faith. As it turns out, though, only the kappa were really all that interested. Perhaps they would have eventually progressed to a state that would draw interest from others, if not for the Radiance."

"She bears the stench of hatred," Levia said. "Of anger. Of... jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Nue said. "What the hell's she jealous of?"

"It would be unlike her to be jealous," Byakuren said.

"All I am sure of is that she is," Levia said. "I notice that there are two people fighting her."

"Yes," Byakuren said. "Another oddity, as one of them is Fujiwara no Mokou, with whom she has been in a relationship. The other I do not recognize."

Nue looked more carefully. "Wait, that's Kaguya!"

"Kaguya? The lunar princess?"

"Yeah. You never got a chance to meet her, did you?"

"Not before the residents of Eientei vanished during the Radiance. She and Mokou had a rivalry, correct?"

Nue nodded. "A major one. They kill each other all the time, or at least they did before Kaguya disappeared with everyone else from Eientei."

"It looks like they're both fighting Utsuho."

"Yeah. I'd expect Mokou and Utsuho to be the team, not Mokou and Kaguya."

"The one of flame bears the stench of hatred," Levia said, "but it is fading. Other scents are present, but confused. She is questioning herself, her path in life. The one of the night carries the scent of regret. But also... you are sure that their relationship is hostile?"

"It sure used to be," Nue said. "Why? Wait, you don't think Utsuho's jealous of-"

"It is a possibility. She is not fully rational, however, so her current beliefs may not entirely reflect reality. She wants to-"

Levia cut herself off when the blast happened. It was localized, centered around Utsuho, and when it ended, she was the only one left standing. "Looks like the fight's done," Nue said.

Levia stepped forward. "She bears the stench of the wicked."

"What do you mean?" Byakuren asked.

Nue, on the other hand, had it figured out. "'Destroyer of the wicked'," she said. "You're going to fight her."

"Dark desires have taken her. She is among the wicked." Levia took to the air.

"Wait!" Byakuren called out, but it was too late. "Great. Nue, come on. We have to go after her."

"No way," Nue said. "I'm not getting between those two."

"You would rather let them fight?"

"I know you can't be killed from that kind of thing, but for me, it'd be asking for death. And I'm pretty sure we're not stopping this anyways."

Byakuren paused for a moment. "Probably true." She sighed. "Very well. Better we remain able to calm whoever wins."

"Yeah," Nue said. "While we're keeping an eye on the fight, let's go find Kaguya and Mokou. See if we can find out what's going on with Utsuho. And with the two of them."

"Yes."

* * *

Utsuho was about to take to the air when Levia landed. "Who are you?"

"Fallen one," Levia said, "your time has come."

"'Fallen'? What do you mean by that?"

"You have given in to impulses of hatred and destruction."

"Unyu?"

"You are consumed with the desire for revenge."

"Oh. Why didn't you just say that? Of course I want revenge. Kaguya killed Satori."

"You are the only one here with malicious intent. I know not the circumstances surrounding this event, but I do know that neither of your opponents are killers."

"Kaguya is. A lot of people died because of her, not just Satori. Mokou's father was one of them, too."

"This 'Kaguya' is not a killer. I know not what she once was, but if she was a killer, that is behind her. Perhaps this is from where I smell the scent of regret. What she used to be is in the past."

"What, so I should just forgive her?"

"I did not say that. Whether or not you forgive her is up to you, and matters little. But the right of judgment belongs to none but God."

"Oh. That's okay, then. I ate a god, so that's not a problem."

Levia was silent for a moment. "...I suppose I should try to stop referring to one who does not exist."

"Huh? I exist!"

"You are not the one to whom I am referring."

"Oh." She paused. "You talk strange."

Levia facepalmed, then shook her head. "Let us get back on topic. Your desire for vengeance consumes you."

"Of course. Kaguya killed someone important to me, so I'm going to kill people important to her. Isn't that normal?"

"...No."

"Oh." Her tone turned serious. "Are you going to try to stop me?"

"Your dark desires have consumed you. You have fallen into wickedness. And I exist to destroy the wicked." She brandished her whip. "Your time is at an end! The destroyer, Levia, has come for you!"

* * *

Byakuren helped Mokou into a sitting position. "Are you all right?"

"Kind of a dumb question to ask an immortal. You're... Byakuren, I think. And... Nue, right? What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story," Nue said. "Short version: we found someone near Seafront and followed her here. After you and Kaguya lost to Ustuho, she decided that she was going to confront Utsuho."

Mokou sighed. "As if this wasn't already complicated enough."

"What's going on here, anyways? I thought you and Utsuho were, um, friendly with each other. And Kaguya hasn't been seen since the Radiance."

Kaguya sat up. "I was underground. Utsuho stuck me inside a small sun and locked the door."

Byakuren immediately ran over to her. "What? Why did she do that?"

"Kaguya killed Satori," Mokou said. "Accidentally, of course; I'm the one she was really after."

"I'm not sure what actually happened," Kaguya said. "Satori confronted me, and immediately knew my intent, so she opposed me. We were going to have a danmaku battle, but then... I don't really know what it was. We were about to start, things became strange, and then my sword was in her chest."

"Utsuho was devastated," Mokou said. "Devastated, and even more pissed off than I was when my father died. And I wasn't exactly pleased, either."

"They took me down hard."

"We did. But Utsuho wasn't okay with simply adding her own vendetta beside mine. So she made use of the 'containment room', a large room in the mansion that was converted after Utsuho's episode upon gaining her powers, intended as a place to contain her if she lost control again. The chamber is completely isolated and contained, both physically and magically. Nothing that happens in there can affect anything outside it. So Utsuho filled it with a miniature sun, and we... kind of... threw Kaguya in."

" _Utsuho_ threw me in," Kaguya said. "All you did was watch."

Byakuren was silent, clearly having difficulty keeping her emotions under control. Nue, however, spoke up. "Back up a bit, Kaguya. You say you don't know what happened when you..."

"When I killed Satori. That's right. Mokou told me that something called the Radiance happened on the day I attacked. You're wondering if it might be involved, aren't you?" Nue nodded. "Well, it's possible, I suppose. It might help if I knew more about the Radiance, but Mokou doesn't seem to know very much."

"Nobody does," Nue said. "All we do know is that it's caused a _lot_ of problems."

Byakuren spoke. "What of the others from Eientei?"

"We just came from there," Kaguya said. "I saw a bizarre creature enter the hall it came out of without turning around, ran into a wall that didn't exist, got spun around in a straight line, walked through myself, and generally encountered a lot of strangeness, but I didn't see any sign of Eirin or any of the other residents."

"I see."

Nue cuhckled. "'Ren, you're about to burst. Go... somewhere; I'll talk to these two."

"Yes, that may be wise. I'll keep watch on the battle." She walked off.

"Byakuren's pretty good at keeping her emotions under control," Nue said, "but I think she was about to reach her limit. That whole 'kept Kaguya in a sun for five hundred years' thing kind of, well..."

"Understandable," Mokou said. "You don't seem that upset by it, though."

"Well, I've been responsible for more than a little trouble myself over the years. Never stuck with one person for quite that long, though. I preferred to move from person to person." Her tone was one of regret. "Of course, once you've truly broken someone's spirit, there's little more you can do to them."

"You two seemed to be getting along just fine, though."

"Well, I've changed. Been a long time since I actually terrorized anyone, although I'd never deny that I do still have something of a mischevious side. I still have my fun; it's just not actually harmful to people now. I've come to realize that the things I did beck then were wrong." She paused. "Man, even after so long, it still feels cheesey as hell to say that."

"But it's true," Kaguya said.

Nue nodded. "It is. But let's get back on topic. Byakuren walked away because she probably wouldn't be able to stay calm if she didn't. I can stay calm, however, and as I happen to know what she'd say, I will say it for her."

"Yeah?" Mokou said. "And what's that?"

"First: Mokou, did you participate in the actual physical action for throwing Kaguya into the star."

"No."

"Was it your idea?"

"...No, but..."

"Utsuho asked you about it?"

"She... she said she was going to do it. I just stood there and nodded. I..."

"But it wasn't your idea, and you didn't perform any of the actions."

"I can see where you're going with this," Mokou said, "and you're wrong. Yes, Utsuho's also responsible for it, but don't you dare try to tell me I'm not."

"Of course you are," Nue said. "You could have stopped her, but you didn't. But do not equate what you did with what she did. You comitted a wrong; Utsuho comitted a far greater wrong."

"And that's what Byakuren would say?"

"If she was calm and in control, yes. Especially since you quite clearly regret what you did. Oh, and are you the one who released Kaguya?"

"She is," Kaguya said.

"Now, call me crazy, but that makes me think you realize that what you did was wrong."

"Of course I do," Mokou said, "but it took five hundred years for me to realize that! Are you saying it's okay to be that oblivious for that long to suffering you caused?"

"It took me far longer," Nue said. "And I ruined far more lives than you. And hell, for all you know, Kaguya was actually better off than had she stayed at Eientei."

Mokou laughed. "Like hell."

"You're probably right, but given that the fate of Eientei's residents is completely unknown, can you say with complete certainty that Kaguya's was worse?"

"Well... no, not _complete_ certainty. But I'm pretty damn sure it was."

"Probably true. I was merely pointing out a possibility. But what I'm really trying to say is, well... you know what,I'll just say it in Byakuren's words. She said this to me once, and I think it applies just as much to you. Cheesey as hell, though."

"Just say it."

"Very well. What she said is: 'It's not who you were that's truly important; it's who you are. It's not what you did that truly matters, but what you do now. Never forget the things you did, but do not let them define you. Learn from your past mistakes, but do not let them bind you. You cannot change who you were then, or what you did; there's no way to alter what has already happened. Change can begin only at the present. Do not let the past bind you; do what you now choose to do. Be who you now wish to be.'"

"You're right," Kaguya said. "That was cheesey. She does have a point, though, Mokou."

Mokou laughed. "Yeah? So, what, I'm just supposed to say 'oh, okay, I'm a changed person', and it's all okay? 'Cause that's bullshit."

"Of course it is," Nue said. "Change does not come easily. You have to want it, and you have to work for it. And I think you're probably going through that process already. But no, that will not make everything fine. What you've done will stay with you. Just don't attach yourself to it. As Byakuren said, 'Change yourself not out of regret for the past, for if you do, it will continue to bind you. It will stay with you no matter what you do, but do not let it decide you actions. Do not be controlled by it. Change not because of what you did; change because you desire it.' Also, we should dodge."

Nue pulled the immortal pair back just in time, as Levia slammed Utsuho into the ground right where they'd been.

* * *

Levia leapt away, narrowly avoiding a blast from Utsuho as the hell raven shot into the air, energy gathering around the control rod. As Utsuho launched the sun, Levia encased herself in a dense sphere of water and plunged straight into it.

The sun stopped moving. Utsuho tilted her head in confusion. "Unyu? Why would she do that?" Then she felt something interfering with it, destabilizing it. Something from within. "Hey! That's not fair!"

Utsuho dove into the sun.

* * *

For a moment, nothing happened. But as Byakuren watched, the miniature sun started to... _steam?_ Then it started... _it's as though it's... unstable? No. In conflict? What is going on in there? Now it looks distorted, definitely unstable. Is Levia actually trying to overpower it?_

It soon became clear that yes, she was. The sun blew apart, a spectacle of fire and water, and the two combatants fell to the ground, landing clumsily. Byakuren raced over to Levia, and was soon joined by Nue.

"She is... formidable," the exhausted Levia said. "Had she not been... worn from battle already, she... would have bested me."

"You were worn, too," Byakuren said.

"I know my own power. Hers is greater. At full strength, she... would have bested me... regardless of my own state. I doubt... her power can be matched."

"She's been beaten before," Nue said.

"By means other than raw power, I would think."

"True," Byakuren said. "Two people opposed her, both were much more skilled than her, and they both had outside help, too."

"Tales of the 'Red-White' and 'Black-White' can wait," Nue said. "We still have Utsuho to-" Utsuho shot into the air and flew away, "-deal with. Byakuren, should we follow her?"

Mokou came up beside them, Kaguya behind her. "The main route underground is in exactly that direction. She's going back down. Probably to recover." She turned to Levia. "How the hell did you pull that off?"

"She was weakened from battle," Levia said. "Had she not been, she would have bested me."

"Still, you matched your power against hers and fought her to a draw. That's impressive."

"I do not know who you are," Kaguya said, "but thank you for your assistance."

Mokou spun to face her. "Shut it. That was my fight. She didn't know that, no, but you sure as hell did. Stay out of it next time."

"Your relationship is not my business," Kaguya said, "but she intends harms towards my people. It's my fight, too."

Byakuren, her immediate feelings at the reveal of Mokou and Utsuho's actions having calmed to a controlable level, stepped towards them. "I would like to speak to both of you regarding this situation, but... well, we are all worn and tired. There is a town called Seafront nearby; I suggest we head there for now. We can speak once we have all recovered."

"I do not object," Levia said.

"Yeah," Mokou said, "I could use a rest."

The others agreed as well, and the group of five set off towards Seafront.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thit chapter took a little while when I actually wrote it (as opposed to now, when I'm just re-posting it). Mainly because I'm not that good with fight scenes, which this chapter has a lot of.
> 
> Anyways, I've got a few things to say about this chapter, and yes, most of them involve Levia, my first Touhou OC to actually have a significant role (the few OCs in Orphan having been minor characters). First, yes, I did indeed take her from the concept of the biblical beast, although I went with the pop-culture sea serpent version of the creature. I realize my interpretation is nowhere close to being biblically accurate, but she's not supposed to be (besides, it's not like mythological inaccuracy in uncommon in Touhou). I had the idea for her character, and found that I really liked the concept of someone for whom the world had undergone the wrong apocalypse. So she's in the story. Although her conversation with Utsuho turned out... differently than intended. Levia's not one to show feelings such as exasperation, but Utsuho's... Utsuho-ness got even her to facepalm.
> 
> Oh, yeah, other stuff happened in the chapter, too. We found out a lot more about what happened with Mokou, Utsuho, and Kaguya, for one. There was a sneak peak at Eientei, too; yes, it will indeed be visited again. Oh, and Miko made an appearance. I've seen a lot of portrayals of the Myouren crew and Miko's people as hostile towards each other, but I've never agreed with that depiction. I don't see Byakuren being hostile towards anyone for differing beliefs, and I never got the impression that Miko had anything against Buddhism. Yes, she secretly studied the ways of Taoism while using Buddhism for political gain, but only out of expedience. I don't think she's hostile towards it, and I really don't see her having used it to unite the people, even if it was for her own political benefit, making her and Byakuren enemies. So I don't have them as enemies.
> 
> Also, if anyone can identify the song the rabbit creature was singing (without looking it up) at the start of the chapter, they get a prize.
> 
> And, of course, reviews are strongly encouraged.


	4. Chapter 4: What Should Not Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nue, Byakuren, and Levia return to Seafront, accompanied by Mokou and Kaguya, and the two groups plan their next moves. Meanwhile, an attack on the human village raises new questions about the Shades, and matters are further complicated when the Hakurei maiden visits with some news of her own.

**Chapter 4  
** _What Should Not Be_

 

They were about halfway back to Seafront when Levia came to a stop and landed. Nue did the same, with the others quickly following suit. "What is it?" Nue asked.

"Something is near," Levia said. "Something… wrong. How did they get so close without me sensing them?"

"Shades, I would assume," Byakuren said. "If so, I'm surprised you can sense them at all. Nobody else can."

"They… these… what is…"

"Levia?"

"They cry out in twisted agony. For everything, for nothing, for things that are and things that aren't."

"I see them," Nue said, pointing. "Looks like a small group."

"Twisted thoughts, twisted lives. Thought without mind, thought without thought. Form without form. Mind without mind. Physical and mental in a state of absent presence. The mindless mind. Within, without. Mind with no mind, sense with no sense, form with no form, thought with no thought. Everything that is not. Nothing that is."

"I think their presence is bothering her," Kaguya noted.

"No shit," Mokou said. "Let's take them out before she gets any-"

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Levia charged forward, directly into the group of Shades. She tackled one, picked it up, and slammed it into the ground. She grabbed one, flew into the air, and drove it into the ground. Another swung at her with its weapon, but she ducked under its blade, punched it a few times, then tore its head off. She threw one to the ground, then wrapped her whip around another and slammed it down on the first one over and over. Then she grabbed the last one and thrust her hand into its middle. A few seconds later, it exploded in a burst of water.

"-or that," Mokou said. "That works too."

* * *

The group made it to Seafront with no further incident, and Miko was there to greet them. "Well, well, well. There seem to be a few more of you."

"Yes," Byakuren said. "It was… eventful." She turned to face the others. "For those of you who haven't met her, allow me to introduce Toyosatomimi no Miko. Miko, this is Kaguya Houraisan and Fujiwara no Mokou."

"Nice to meet you, Mokou. Kaguya, I believe we have met, although it was a long time ago."

"Yes," Kaguya said. "I remember that. Wasn't long after you awoke. I remembered hearing about you in the outside world, and got curious as to what you were really like."

"Indeed. And who is this?"

"My name," Levia said, "is Levia."

"She's the one you told us about," Nue said.

"She seems to be an… unusual individual," Miko said.

"That's for sure."

"Miko," Byakuren said, "all of us were recently involved in battle, and I'm afraid we are all worn. Could you accommodate us?"

"Certainly. Nue, you know where to go. You take everyone there, and if anyone asks, tell them I okayed it. Futo's probably done with the tablet, too."

"I think I remember her," Kaguya said. "Isn't she the one who talks funny?"

Miko chuckled. "She used to. She's modernized her speech. Anyways, Byakuren, could you stay here for a minute? I'd like to speak to you alone."

"You intend to talk about me," Levia said. "You may speak freely, Miko. It does not bother me."

Miko was caught off-guard for a second, but quickly regained her composure. "Be that as it may, I'd rather speak with her alone."

"Very well. Nue, you are the one who knows where we are going. Please lead us there."

* * *

"Levia seems… unusually perceptive," Miko said once she and Byakuren were alone.

Byakuren nodded. "Nue and I had a similar impression."

"What's her story?"

"It is unusual," Byakuren said. "She claims to have been born from the mythology of an outside world religion centered around a figure named 'Jesus Christ'."

"Yes," Miko said, "I remember that religion. 'Christianity', they called it. It was centered in a land called Rome, if I remember correctly. I recall hearing about it from foreign visitors, although it never really came to Japan, at least not during my time. I don't really know all that much of it."

"Well, Levia says her origin is in Christianity's myth of the end. According to her, the righteous are taken by 'Yahweh', and those who remain must suffer through the world's end. She says that her role was that of a destroyer, released during the end to lay waste."

"Should I assume people no longer believe that this will happen?"

Byakuren nodded. "She said that as more and more predicted dates for the end came and went, more and more people stopped believing in that particular myth. The religion itself remains, but Levia was relegated to the realm of legend."

"So she ended up in Gensokyo."

"Not quite. The way she says it, she never existed in the outside world at all. She says the entire religion is based on false beliefs. She did not exist before she was in Gensokyo, and as she tells it, she knew all of this. She also says that no matter what people in the outside world believe, Yahweh will not come into existence here, because even in Gensokyo, the existence of such a being simply cannot happen. Which, of course, means there's no possibility of the 'day of judgment' occurring. Since the end for which she was to awaken would, then, never come, she expected to sleep eternally."

"But she's awake now."

"She is, and this seems to be because of the Radiance. She says that even the death and destruction of the initial event could not have awoken her, but it's been responsible for a lot since then, and she says that because it's from the same cause, it added to the strength of that call until it did wake her."

"Does she…"

"No," Byakuren said. "She knows this is not a world in the state she exists to end. When we found her, she was… confused. She said that the righteous should be gone from the world, but that this wasn't the case. She lashed out at us in confusion."

"Is that why she attacked people seemingly at random?"

"Not all of it, I think. Some of those she attacked were probably ones that, at least to her, qualify as 'wicked'."

"How could she identify them as such so quickly? When I sent Seiga to talk to her, she was attacked on sight. Actually, she seemed to know that it was her I wanted to talk to you about. Do you think that might stem from the same ability?"

"Yes, that is likely. She demonstrated such capability multiple times. She seems to have some level of empathic ability."

"Something similar to my own ability, you think?"

"Not quite," Byakuren said. "You can sense people's desires. I haven't seen enough of Levia's ability to be certain, but it seems to be more about general emotions. Anger and jealousy were both mentioned. She seems to have a tendency to speak of them as though they were scents."

"She did seem to have some ability to sense desires, since she knew it was her I wanted to talk to you about."

"True. The fact is that I know very little about her abilities. Given time, I should be able to form a more accurate assessment of them."

"True enough. I take it your intent is to keep her with you, then?"

"She has no direction to her life, no purpose. She is lost. I offered to help her find her way, and she accepted."

"That's a yes, then."

"It is." Byakuren paused for a moment. "Miko, I seek a greater understanding of her. What can you tell me of her desires?"

"She wants a return to the world she expected," Miko said, "so that she may fulfill her original purpose."

"Not surprising, although I think she realizes that this is not really a possibility."

"You're right, I think, as she also wants to find some meaning in her existence, a new purpose. And…"

"What is it?"

"She has a desire to eliminate… something."

"That would fit with the role of destroyer."

"No," Miko said, "that's not it. This is much more… focused. It's something specific that she desires to eliminate, to wipe out, to completely eradicate. It is an incredibly strong desire, strong enough that it's obscuring what she wants to eliminate."

"I know what she wants to eliminate," Byakuren said, realizing what Miko was talking about. "And she is not the only one who wishes those creatures destroyed."

That was enough for Miko to figure it out. "Shades."

Byakuren nodded. "We ran into some on our way back, a small group. Levia reacted… strongly. She said… things. It was hard to understand, and seemed a little like she was simply rambling, but I can't shake the feeling that it was more than that. I think it was her empathic abilities. She sensed… something, and… well, after her apparent rambling, she screamed, charged them, and tore them apart."

"Obviously, then, it was something she didn't like."

"More than that, it looked like. Any other desires?"

"Only basic things. Sustenance and the like. Speaking of which, you could probably use some yourself. Shall we join the others?"

"Yes," Byakuren said, "let's."

* * *

Mokou and Kaguya were silent as they followed behind Nue. Which didn't bother Nue; Levia was the one she wanted to talk to, anyways. "Levia."

"Yes?"

"What happened back there? You know, with the Shades?"

"I suppose that was maybe a bit… surprising," Levia said. "I did not expect it, either."

"Something about them set you off. Any idea what?"

"I am not sure. It was something I sensed, I know that much."

_Yes, she did demonstrate empathic capabilities._ "What, though?"

"I am not sure. Something about them is just… wrong. They should not exist, I know that much. They are aberrations, things that should not be."

"They're unusual, that's for sure. But… well, let's be open here. You clearly have some form of empathic ability."

"That is correct," Levia said. "And yes, it is what I sensed through that ability that… disturbed me. I do not think that I can describe it, however. Not to one without a similar sense, and maybe not even then. I am not quite sure what it was myself."

"Whatever it was, you didn't seem to like it."

"They are aberrations, creatures that should not exist. They… ordinarily, I can tell what things do and do not have minds, but with the Shades, I cannot. There aren't ordinary minds, aren't emotions, but neither is there the absence of those things. There's something in there, but as to what it is, I cannot say. I have felt nothing like it. All I know is that it is wrong. Everything about them is wrong. They are a non-existence that must be ended."

Kaguya finally spoke. "Maybe you should talk about something else. I think this topic is upsetting Levia."

"I am in control," Levia said.

"Still," Nue said, "Kaguya may be right. I do have one more question, though: do you think you'll fly into a rage again the next time you encounter Shades?"

"Unlikely. I now know what to expect. It will not surprise me, and I should be able to retain control of myself. And any difficulties I do have next time can be corrected for so that they do not occur again."

"Works for me," Nue said.

* * *

"You really found this in the mausoleum?" Futo asked.

"Yes," Nue said, "and there were a lot of fairy-type Shades in the room, too. And a pair of animated statues. And there were block puzzles in other rooms."

"Someone's been in there, then, because we certainly didn't set any of that up. Or put the tablet in there."

"Could you read the tablet?"

Futo nodded. "Yes, both inscriptions. I'm kind of surprised Byakuren couldn't read the second one; the script it's written in is one that was favored by Buddhist temples. It is similar to the one my family preferred, though, enough that learning it was fairly simple."

"We know the first one already. What does the second one say?"

"The inscription reads, 'The eight pieces are held by the bodyless forms, those of the black disease.'"

There was a brief silence. "Repeat that," Nue said, and Futo did so.

"Does that mean something to you?" Kaguya asked.

"It does," Nue said. "The first inscription reads, 'The eight pieces face the shade's black mark. Seek with them the agent of change.' And the second one says 'black disease'. There's only one thing that could refer to."

"It certainly could refer to the Black Scrawl," Futo said.

"Of course it does. And it says where to look for the pieces, too."

"'Bodyless forms'?"

"There's only one thing that could mean."

"I don't agree," Futo said. "It could be referring to spirits, or souls, or-"

"No," Levia said. "Nue is right; it is referring to Shades."

"How can you be sure?"

"It couldn't mean anything else," Nue said. "The Shades and the Black Scrawl are connected. All I have to do is kill every Shade I come across until I find the ones with the remaining seven pieces."

Futo sighed. "You're grasping at straws, Nue."

"No, she is correct," Levia said. "It means Shades."

"How can you be sure?"

"Their taint is upon it. I can sense it. It is weak, but it is there."

"Are you sure? I don't sense anything odd. And what do you mean by the Shade's 'taint'?"

"She can sense them," Nue said. "Only when they're already fairly close, but still better than anyone else can do."

"Really?"

"Saw the evidence myself."

Futo looked back to Levia. "And you get that same sense from this tablet?"

"I do," Levia said. "It is faint, but it is there. The object is related in some manner to the Shades; that much is certain."

"Huh. Well, here you go, then." Futo handed the tablet to Nue.

"Thanks," Nue said. "I mean it. This is the first real lead I've had in a while."

"Seems like a long shot, though."

"I don't care. I'm following this lead."

"I thought as much. And I do most certainly hope it bears fruit; the Black Scrawl is one of many things the world could do without."

"Yeah," Nue said, "no kidding."

"On our end, I'm sure we'll be looking into whatever's going on at the mausoleum. If we find anything, I'm sure we can let you know."

"Thanks."

* * *

Tenshi impaled a Shade through the chest, using it as a club against another. "Two!" She kicked one to the ground, jumped on top of it, and plunged her sword through its head. "Three!" She performed a spinning backwards leap, landing in the middle of four Shades and taking them out with a spinning slice. "Four in one!"

A Shade came at her from the side. She grabbed its sword. "Yeah, no." She flipped the Shade over her and into the ground. One charged her from the front, and another from behind. Tenshi leapt to the side, grabbed their weapons, and impaled the two Shades on each other's' blades. "Well, that's not very nice. You should kiss and make up." She slammed their heads together.

Another Shade attacked. Tenshi ducked around it and grabbed it from behind. "Let's not be interrupting, now." She leapt into the air and threw it into the ground. She rose higher into the air, then came crashing down on a keystone, crushing a trio of shades. "You should really learn to look up." Three more approached, and she sent a keystone through each one's head.

Only four Shades were left, and they approached Tenshi as a group. Tenshi plunged her sword into the ground, and the ground split open beneath them. The four Shades plummeted into the crack, and were then crushed as Tenshi closed it. "Watch your step, too," she said, pulling her sword out of the ground.

Tenshi looked around, then sheathed her sword. "And that takes care of that."

Mamizou landed next to Tenshi. "Ah, you're finished."

"Yeah," Tenshi said. "How's Keine doing?"

"She and I got everyone together in the school and library quickly, as per the plan."

"That's good. And Yuugi?"

"I'd assume she's done by now. She only had two left when I saw her. And I probably don't have to tell you how much she was enjoying it."

"Good thing she was here. Otherwise, you'd've had to get your hands dirty."

"I don't think so," Mamizou said. "Keine would have left the humans to me and taken care of the Shades herself. I wouldn't be able to do as well against them."

"I've fought you before," Tenshi said, "remember? Don't tell me you couldn't handle Shades."

"My ability with danmaku does not mean I can do that well in a real battle, at least not against Shades. My specialty is illusions, remember? Deception, misdirection, that manner of thing. Even an army of humans or youkai I could wipe out single-handedly, and without even having to personally kill so much as a single one, but Shades, unfortunately, don't exactly seem to have minds to fool."

"True. I think you could probably take a small group of Shades, though. They're not really all that tough."

"Oh, I've fought Shades before. And you're right; I can perform decently against them. Don't know if I could've handled a group the size of the ones you and Yuugi just fought off, though. And even if I could, Keine could still do a better job of it. Especially since you started giving her lessons."

"She never did like fighting," Tenshi said. "She only did it when she truly needed to. Of course, when the Shades appeared, that need started showing up a lot more often. It's only natural she'd want to improve her own abilities to compensate, isn't it?"

"True enough."

"Yeah," Tenshi said. "Anyways, if both groups have been taken care of, let's go give everyone the all-clear."

Mamizou nodded. "After you."

* * *

It was later in the afternoon when the group was ready to depart from Seafront. "Right," Nue said. "Mokou, Kaguya, where are you two going now?"

"I have business to take care of," Mokou said, "and I feel certain Kaguya's going to insist on coming along."

"As I told you," Kaguya said, "it's my fight, too."

"You're going to pursue Utsuho, I take it," Byakuren said.

Mokou nodded. "Yes. Well, I don't know about actually pursuing her immediately. I don't know where she is right now; she's been sighted all over Gensokyo during the past month, so I have no idea where to find her."

"Also, we lost rather badly," Kaguya said. "We shouldn't just charge in again without a plan."

"Oh? And just what would you suggest we do, then?"

"Head for the mountain," Nue said. "Kanako's still there, and she's the one who gave Utsuho her power. She might be able to help."

"It's getting a bit late in the day, though," Mokou said. "I think I'll stay here for the night. Kaguya, you can do whatever the hell you want."

"You have the right idea," Kaguya said. "I'll be imposing on Miko for the night as well, I think."

"You could come to the human village with us," Byakuren said. "It's close enough that we'll get there by nightfall, and we could certainly accommodate the two of you for a night."

"I'll pass," Mokou said. "It's been a while since I've seen the ocean."

"Same here," Kaguya said.

"Very well," Byakuren said. "Levia, Nue, let us go."

* * *

"Two groups attacking simultaneously," Keine said. "That's something new."

"Hey," Yuugi said, "we beat 'em, right? The more, the better, as far as I'm concerned."

"I have to agree with Keine," Tenshi said. "Yeah, we kicked the hell out of 'em, but this attack implies a level of coordination we didn't think they were capable of. And it's also the first actual, true attack on the village in a long time. It's a change in behavior, and that's worrying. It's rarely good when the enemy acts in a new way. Tends to mean something's up."

The three of them were in the schoolhouse. The attack was over, and the people had returned to their everyday business. But the attack had indeed been unusual, so they were discussing it.

"I'm not sure we can call them 'enemies'," Keine said. "I don't think the term really applies to beings that don't think."

Tenshi sighed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know, Keine. Can we leave the issue of semantics aside, please?"

"Sorry." She looked over to Yuugi. "Correcting people is something of a habit for me. It comes with being a teacher."

"Whatever," Yuugi said. "I don't care 'bout that stuff, anyways."

"Continuing," Tenshi said, "I'm not sure we can say that Shades don't think, not after they displayed even basic strategy."

"Could just be a coincidence," Yuugi said.

"Possible," Tenshi said. "I doubt it, though."

"Yeah, gotta agree with you there."

"What I want to know," Keine said, "is why we're seeing this sudden change. If they could think all this time, why are we only seeing it now? And if they couldn't, why can they do so now?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but this is important."

All three of them turned to face the newcomer. "Mira," Keine said. "I didn't realize you were here."

Mira Hakurei took a seat. "I didn't know I'd be coming, but like I said, this is important."

"Let me guess," Tenshi said. "Shades attacked the shrine, too."

"No," Mira said. "This is about the border."

The room was silent. Eventually, Keine spoke. "What is it, Mira?"

"Something's happening to the border," the Hakurei maiden explained. "At first, it was so minor that I thought I was imagining it, but I no longer doubt that the change is actually happening. I'm not completely sure what the nature of the change is, but what I think is that the border is weakening."

Another silence, once again broken by Keine. "Is it in danger of collapse?"

"No," Mira said. "The change is happening very slowly, which is part of the reason it took me so long to confirm that it's happening. And even if it was going faster, I don't think the border's weakening to the point of collapse. It would help if I knew how the border had felt before, but I think it's beginning to revert to its state before the Shades appeared."

"Are you sure?"

"No. As I said, I don't know how it felt back then. Kind of before my time. That's just my guess."

"Ran Yakumo would probably know."

"Yeah," Tenshi said. "Too bad nobody's seen her since shortly after Yukari's death. Stuck around long enough to explain what'd happened, but then she-and her shikigami-vanished. Nobody has any idea where the two of them went off to."

"It has to be somewhere in Gensokyo," Keine said. "They vanished after the border was strengthened and Gensokyo was isolated."

"Still a big area to search," Mira said, "and I can't leave the shrine for that long."

"Let's put Nazrin on it," Tenshi said. "I don't know if her ability works on people, but she's good at finding stuff even without it, isn't she?"

"That works. Where is she?"

"No clue."

"Byakuren should know," Keine said. "We can ask her when she returns."

"And when's that?" Mira asked.

"To be honest, I'm surprised she's not back yet. She and Nue must have gotten mixed up in something."

"So no clue, then. Great." Mira stood, walking over to the door. "I'll be in the market. Might as well get my shopping done while I'm here. If she gets back, let me know." She opened the door and walked straight into Byakuren. "Gah!"

"Mira," Byakuren said. "I didn't realize you'd be here. And the reverse is also true, apparently."

Mira ignored the collision completely. "Byakuren, excellent timing. I need to find Ran Yakumo. Keine recommended having Nazrin search, but none of them know where she is."

Nue stepped up beside Byakuren. "We ran into her on our way in," she said. "We asked her to set up accommodations for a guest while we came here, so she should be at our place. Give us a minute, and we'll take you-"

Mira brushed past the two of them. "Not waiting. I know where you live; I can get there on my own." And with that, she headed off through the village, not even sparing a glance for the woman standing next to them.

* * *

_Mira Hakurei is an… interesting individual._

_The current Hakurei maiden, Mira is actually not the first of her line to have that name. The first Mira had the role of Hakurei maiden fifteen hundred years ago; in fact, it was her who sealed Byakuren in Makai._

_I only met the first Mira once, when she performed the sealing. And even though she never spoke to me, I remember her just as clearly as I remember the rest of that particular event._

_Shou was not present that day-something she never forgave herself for-and Kyouko joined the temple after Byakuren's unsealing, so it was just Byakuren, Ichirin, Nazrin, and Murasa who were there when the humans came. And myself, of course, but that was merely bad timing on my part. The others were ready to fight, as was I (but just for my own protection, whereas the others would have been fighting for Byakuren), but Byakuren ordered her followers to stand down. They did so, and I followed suit, still ready to fight but willing to wait and see what Byakuren was doing._

_Two of the humans stepped forward from the mob. The man was just another villager-the mob's leader, I assumed-but the other was a woman who, despite never having seen her before, I recognized on sight. Her clothing made her identity obvious-she was Mira Hakurei, the Hakurei maiden. And even from that first sight of her, it was quite clear that she did not want to be there._

_The man spoke first. "_ _I imagine you know why we're here."_

" _I do," Byakuren said. "_ _Do you?"_

_"_ _Let me guess: you're looking to launch into some speech about how we're doing this for all the wrong reasons. But we're not. You have been protecting the youkai you claimed to kill."_

_"_ _Let me ask you this: when have I ever claimed that I kill youkai?"_

_"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're a youkai hunter; of course you kill-" He stopped mid-sentence._

_"That's right," Byakuren said. "I have never once claimed to be a youkai killer." She faced the mob. "I have taken jobs from many of you. Have I ever agreed to kill a youkai?" She paused briefly. "That's right. I have not. In fact, am I not quick to decry requests to kill? Have I not corrected every use of the word? 'I remove youkai; I do not kill them.' How many of you have heard me say that?"_

_"_ _What the hell did you expect us to think?" the man asked. "You knew damn well we'd assume you were using 'remove' as a euphemism."_

" _I said what I meant. I even corrected people I thought believed that I was using 'remove' euphemistically."_

" _Cut the crap. You show up and act like a youkai hunter, and now you're trying to tell us you never hid your true intentions?"_

_It was Mira who replied. "_ _She never lied. You all simply drew your own conclusions, despite her words. That's not her fault."_

" _Like hell it's not! She knew we'd assume 'remove' was a euphemism! She knew what we'd think! She's been tricking us this whole time!"_

_"_ _And why," Byakuren asked, "would I want to do that?"_

_"_ _To get us to trust you. We know you're one of them. We know you're a youkai."_

_I, not yet knowing that Byakuren had once been human, thought at first that she'd merely been passing herself off as one. The others, of course, knew exactly what was meant._

" _Please explain," Byakuren said. "What does that have to do with this?"_

" _Oh, shut up. You're a youkai. That's all that needs to be said. Or are you going to try and tell us that youkai aren't enemies of humans?"_

_"_ _I'm not going to_ try _to tell you that. I'm going to tell you that. Youkai are not the enemies of humans."_

_"_ _Yeah, real convincing. The whole attacking-people thing kind of ruins that argument."_

_"_ _There are humans who kill youkai," Byakuren said. "You even thought me to be one of them. But youkai do not believe that all humans want to kill them."_

_"_ _Of course not. They know it's self-defense."_

_"_ _Well, then, what about the humans who kill other humans? Humans are not murderers; certain individual humans are. You do not assume everyone is a murderer just because someone is, do you?"_

_"_ _Of course not."_

_"_ _Then why do you make that assumption of youkai?"_

_"_ _We're not making assumptions. I, for one, have never seen a youkai unless it's attacking someone."_

_"_ _You've seen me."_

_"_ _You're trying a strategy. You're trying to make us feel safe around you, make us think you're on our side, so that we don't suspect you. But you're not fooling us any longer."_

_"_ _If that were true, I'd have struck long before now. But I have no desire or intent to do so."_

_"_ _You can't be trusted. We know that, and you can't fool us any longer."_

_"So you're here to… 'deal with me'?"_

_"_ _Yeah, no shit."_

_"_ _Then do it," Byakuren said. "Kill me."_

_"_ _Don't think we're here unprepared," the man said. "We know your secret. We know you took power from Makai. We know you can't be killed."_

_That was the first I'd heard of that, but Byakuren's followers seemed to know exactly what the man was talking about. As, of course, did Byakuren. "And yet you're here. If you know that you cannot kill me, then what do you intend to do?"_

_"We can't kill you," the man said, "but we can ensure you do no harm. Your minions will be killed, of course, but you we will simply seal away."_

_I prepared to fight, but the others were still watching Byakuren. "I cannot accept their deaths," she said. "They have not even done the wrong you say I have. And even were that not the case, I do not want anyone here to come to any harm. And I include all of you in that statement, as well. So I say this: if you promise to do nothing beyond sealing me, I will not resist."_

_The man was silent for a moment. "Very well," he said, and there was a general murmur of agreement. "We will not-"_

_What happeden next was, to put it mildly, unexpected: Mira Hakurei punched the man in the face. "You shut the fuck up, Rio." She spun to face the mob. "All of you just_ shut the fuck up _!"_

_It'd been clear that Mira didn't really like what was happening, but even knowing that, the… intensity of her reaction was quite a surprise._ _"_ _I have_ _had_ _it with this!" she exclaimed to the crowd. "You know damn well you intend to kill every youkai here! And you have the nerve to call her a liar! You're just a bunch of fucking hypocrites!"_

_"_ _Damn it, woman," the man named Rio said as he got to his feet, "you know we're right. You're a youkai exterminator yourself. You know they're evil."_

_Mira spun to face Rio. "You only got one thing right, and that's that I'm a youkai exterminator. And because I am, I know very well that Byakuren's in the right here. And so would you, if you actually gave a shit about that."_

_"_ _What the hell are you talking about? You know she's full of shit!"_

_"_ _Oh, fuck you. Do you know just how many innocent youkai I've hunted? How many innocent youkai I've killed?"_

" _No such thing."_

" _Not every youkai has caused problems. Not every youkai has killed."_

" _Not every youkai has caused problems or killed_ yet _. They will eventually."_

" _Wrong. Most youkai are innocent of such things, and I've killed many of them. Far too many. I couldn't keep doing it. That, Rio, is why_ I _no longer claim to kill youkai. I will kill the ones that truly are guilty, but for the ones that aren't, I do the same thing as Byakuren. I relocate them. Like her, I have constantly decried jobs telling me to kill youkai. I have made no secret of the fact that most of the time I simply remove them. In fact, I've used the same words she has: 'I do not kill youkai; I remove them'. But you're not taking up arms against me, now, are you? And do you know why you aren't?" She faced the mob again. "Do any of you know?"_

_There was no response. "Of course you know," Mira said. "You just don't want to say it. So I'll say it for you: the reason you're attacking Byakuren but not me is because I am a human, whereas she is a youkai."_

_"_ _Well, obviously," Rio said. "You say that like it doesn't mean anything."_

_Mira punched him in the gut and shoved him to the ground. "Because it fucking doesn't!" She faced the mob again. "What the fuck is wrong with you people? Do you really think that she's evil just because she's not human? Just because she's a youkai?" Silence. "Well, what about the fact that she used to be human? Are you saying that becoming a youkai made her evil?"_

_Another piece of information I hadn't known. I was quickly learning that Byakuren was a most unusual individual._

_"_ _Of course that didn't turn her evil," Rio said, getting to his feet again. "Only an evil human would want to be a youkai in the first-"_

_Mira kicked him back down. "Shut the fuck up before I rip out your fucking tongue!" She faced the group again. "You are attempting to imprison an innocent woman and kill other innocent women. That is something I cannot condone. The only evil here is that perpetrated by you. And yet…"_

_Mira indicated Byakuren. "Byakuren has consented to the sealing," she said, "so I will perform it. But if any of you take any action-_ any _action, even the most insignificant-against any other youkai here, then I'll be introducing you to a youkai who does deserve your hatred, and I will do absolutely nothing but watch as it fucking eats you alive! Any questions?" Silence. "Good." She pointed at a few people. "You, you, you, and you, you're the most magically skilled of the group. You four stay here. Everyone else will leave now." She picked Rio off the ground and shoved him at the mob. "That means you, too, Rio. All of you will leave, and you will not come back." A pause. "That means_ right fucking now _!"_

_That was enough to drive the mob off. "I'm sorry," Mira said, turning to face Byakuren. "I do not want to do this, but…"_

_"_ _I understand," Byakuren said. "Do it; I will not hold it against you." She looked over at her followers. "Please, do not interfere."_

_None of the others were happy about this, of course, but they all nodded anyways. Then Byakuren looked at me. "And you, I do not know you, but please, just let things be. Don't try to help me; you'll only make things worse."_

_I nodded, too, but unlike the others, Byakuren's situation didn't concern me; that day was the first time I'd ever even seen her. I did prefer not having to kill my way out of that situation, though. Oh, sure, I was still quite willing to kill at that point in time, but I've never exactly been fond of massacres, and a massacre is exactly what it would have been. So I was glad to see there wouldn't be a fight. In fact, I probably could have just left at that point, but I was curious to see what sort of seal Mira planned to form that required four others to assist. Had I known what was about to happen, I'd have chosen differently._

" _Thank you," Byakuren said. "Mira, you may begin whenever you are ready."_

_"_ _All right." She paused. "Damn it, why does it have to be like this?"_

_"_ _It is not your fault. It's not something any one person can change. But it will change. It may be hundreds of years until it changes, but eventually, it will change."_

_"_ _I hope so. And I will do all that I can to hurry it along. I don't want any of my descendants to have to do something like this. And I hope I never have to do it again."_

_"_ _Yes, you do seem to… feel strongly about this._

_Mira laughed, although it sounded forced. "Yeah, um, sorry about that."_

_"_ _No apology is necessary. I may not be fond of the… forceful language you used, but it is not my place to condemn one for using such language. And it is the thoughts behind the words that truly matter, anyways. I do not approve of your threat, either, of course. Even if it was just a bluff."_

_"I don't bluff," Mira said._

_"Well, I do not approve, but your actions are your choice, so I will say no more. Are you ready to perform my sealing?"_

_"_ _I suppose so." Mira paused. "Damn, how can you be so calm about this?"_

_"_ _I am quite upset, actually, but showing this would serve no purpose. One must-"_

_Behind Mira's back, two of the four selected villagers-a man and a woman-had been working on preparations for Byakuren's sealing, as had the other two. But this pair, it turned out, had been readying something else, as well, and they chose that moment to leap into action._

_Murasa and I were the first targets. I reacted faster, and almost managed a successful evasion, but the man managed to, just barely, hit one of my wings with his charm. The next thing I knew, I was underground with Murasa, whose ship was also there with us. Ichirin and Nazrin appeared a moment later._

_We did not witness the rest of that incident, of course, but Byakuren later filled us in. She saw us get sent underground, as did Mira. And apparently, Mira was not amused. "Ali! Kino! What the_ _hell_ _did you just do?"_

_"_ _What had to be done," Kino said. "Don't worry; they haven't been harmed. They have simply been sent to the sealed underground-along with that ghost's ship, I would assume, since it and she are bound. No harm has come to them. We didn't violate the agreement."_

_"_ _Do_ not _try that bullshit with me," Mira said. "You have just made the worst mistake of your lives. Now get in position so we can perform the sealing before I get even more pissed off and just fucking kill you right here! Neke, Nara, you too." Then she faced Byakuren. "Um…"_

" _Continue," Byakuren said. "What the two of them did is on them, not you. And I'm assuming that you have a consequence in mind, but let me just say that it's better to be forgiving."_

" _Yeah, no."_

" _Well, it is your decision. Still, I would encourage mercy. Anyways, please, do what you are here to do."_

_The four and Mira took positions around Byakuren. The four channeled magical energy, but it was Mira who did all the actual work._

_Mira stepped back when she was finished, when only the final touch remained. "Neke, Nara," she said, "you two can leave." They did, and Mira faced the other two. "You two, on the other hand, are staying with me." She magically restrained them. "You just wait right there. Once I finish this up, I'll be introducing you to somebody who will_ love _having guests for dinner." Then she finished the seal, sending Byakuren to Makai and trapping her there._

_I liked Mira. I may have only met her the one time, but she made something of an impression. I would have liked to get to know her, actually, but unfortunately, she died long before the underground was unsealed. The current Mira does remind me of her, though, although I don't think this one has fed anybody to youkai. But she is, like her namesake, completely unwilling to take any shit from anyone. And that's a trait I admire._

* * *

"So," Keine said as Byakuren, Nue, and Levia entered the schoolhouse, "you seem to have picked up a new companion."

Levia stepped forward. "I am Levia. Hmm… I was told that Keine would likely wonder if I might turn out to be a threat to the village. You are her, I assume."

"I… I am."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Nue said. "Levia here is… unusual."

"I like unusual," Tenshi said, getting to her feet. "I'm Tenshi. Keine you've already identified, and the oni is Yuugi."

Levia stared at Yuugi for a moment. "Interesting. It seems we share a certain desire."

"What?"

"You harbor hatred," Levia said. "You desire to kill as many Shades as you possibly can. I, too, know that they must be eliminated."

"Well," Yuugi said, "you've got that much right."

Keine stood. "Well, Levia, as long as you don't cause problems, you're welcome in the village. Are you staying with Byakuren?"

"She is providing a place, yes."

"That's Byakuren for you," Tenshi said. "So what happened? If Byakuren got involved, I'd assume you were in some sort of trouble. What was it? Illness? Home got destroyed? Needed help with a Shade attack?"

"I awoke without a world to bring to its end."

Silence.

"Well," Tenshi said. "Have to say, that's not the answer I was expecting."

"It's a long story," Nue said. "'Ren, why don't you fill them in? I'll show Levia around."

"No objections," Byakuren said.

"Right. Come on, Levia. I'll show you around the village, and by the time we're done, it'll be evening. 'Ren, what say we meet up at Lorelei's?" Byakuren nodded. "Great. Come on, Levia."

* * *

Mokou sat on the dock, watching the sun set. Even in the month since leaving the underground, she hadn't seen one. She'd kept to the forest, but even had she not, she likely would have avoided such a thing. Avoided something that would so strongly remind her of Utsuho.

Mokou didn't even have to look to know Kaguya was coming up behind her. "What do you want?"

"Just to talk." Kaguya took a seat beside Mokou.

Mokou stood. "Not interested."

"Just avoiding it, then? You should know that's not going to help."

"…Fine." She sat back down. "You're wasting time, though. I already know what you're going to say."

"Oh?"

"You're just going to say that I'm not responsible because I'm not the one who threw you in."

"Or the one who made the sun. Or the one who came up with the idea. You didn't do it; you only allowed it. Still bad, but not on the same level."

"And then there's the part about me making up for it by getting you out."

"That does mean a fair amount. And there's also the fact that I am kind of responsible for getting your father killed."

"Doesn't change anything."

"Look, Mokou. Yes, you did something wrong. But I'm not completely innocent, either. But when you rather forcefully pointed out how many people my 'impossible requests' were killing, did I just sit around pitying myself?"

"You ended the challenge. And shut up. It may have been your fault, but most of those people were stupid."

"You mean they got themselves killed, even if they did it because of my challenge. And that's exactly right. They got killed doing stupid things. But the point is that issuing that challenge was a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, does things they regret."

"Your 'victims' brought it on themselves. Even… my father."

"I don't think you've ever acknowledged that before."

"Well, it's true."

"Just as it's true that Utsuho, not you, trapped me within that sun."

"Gah, stop saying that! Stop saying it wasn't my fault!"

"…Fine." Kaguya stood up. "But, Mokou?"

Mokou sighed. "What?"

Kaguya kicked her off the dock and into the water. "Snap the hell out of it. If you feel so bad about what you did, then work to make up for it. But don't just sit around moping. That doesn't help anyone."

Mokou rose out of the water and landed on the dock. "What the hell would you know?"

"Well," Kaguya said as she walked away, "I did have my family and entire society tell me to leave and never come back. I haven't always had a happy life, you know. Maybe you should think about that."

* * *

'Lorelei's' was a popular establishment, as was evident as soon as Byakuren, Nue, and Levia entered. They were immediately greeted by one of the staff. "Welcome! Oh, Miss Byakuren! And Nue, too! And… someone new! Excellent! Byakuren, Nue, I already know for you." She turned towards Levia. "Herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore?"

"Carnivore," Levia said. "Meat only."

"Cooked or raw?"

"Raw. Living or just killed."

"Sure thing. This way, please."

In contrast to the rest of the restaurant, the section the three of them were led to was only about half-filled. It was smaller, too, and off to the side and out of sight of most of the other tables, although it did still have a good view of the raised platform in the center of the building. The trio was quickly seated, and the waitress handed them each a menu, Levia getting a different one than the other two.

Restaurants, as well as food stands or other such things, were a new concept for Levia, but Nue had explained how they worked. Still, Levia did have some questions, especially concerning this particular establishment, which was fairly unusual in that it accommodated almost every type of diet.

Levia looked around. "Everyone in this section appears to either share my variety of diet or is with someone who does," she noted.

"Some people, mainly among humans, are uncomfortable with witnessing the feeding habits of some youkai," Nue explained. "This place wants to accommodate everyone, though, so they just put anyone who prefers raw meat in here so nobody else has to see it."

"They may do as they please. It is no concern of mine. Now… you make a selection from the menu, correct?"

Nue nodded. "Pick what you want. They gave you the carnivore menu, so there's nothing but meat on it."

Levia looked her menu over. "This is not to my liking. I consume plain meat."

"Back of the menu," Nue said. The fact that a youkai who'd been asleep ever since her existence began somehow knew to read wasn't even worth noting.

Levia examined the back side of the menu. "Yes, this is preferable. Do they bring the animal alive?"

"No. That's about the one thing they don't do. Even in this section, people killing their own food would freak out far too many other customers. They will kill it and then immediately bring it out, though."

"That is sufficient."

The three made their choices, and a waitress soon came by and took their order. Levia's came quickly, as there was no cooking to be done, and she immediately tore into it, paying no attention to cleanliness or other manners of etiquette. Not that this was unusual among those with her manner of diet. And in addition, eating something that had just been killed was inherently messier. All of which had been taken into account when the establishment was built.

The tables in the raw-meat section all sat on easily-washed mats. After a meal, the staff would replace the mats with clean ones, bringing the used ones back for washing. The tables themselves were of a unique design, made with the consumption of fresh kills in mind. Where one would normally expect to see placemats and plates, there were instead trough-like bowls. The order was set in the bowl for eating with whatever implements or lack thereof the diner preferred. Each bowl had a drain for blood, carrying it into the back where it was gathered for disposal. And to accommodate mixed parties, those in which not everyone needed raw meat, a wooden flap could be slid out over each bowl, allowing for the placement of more standard dishes.

The staff at Lorelei's always greeted customers by name whenever they knew the names, there was no dress code other than 'be wearing clothes', and nobody spoke formally. The staff was very friendly to patrons, and it was common to see workers stop and chat with people. And then, of course, there were the constant calls in the background.

"Fry a turd in the garden!"

"Drown the kids and a cup of mud!"

"Hemorrhage a charcoal!"

"Crying mother walking!"

"Mother-child reunion, and cremate it!"

"They seem to be speaking nonsense," Levia observed.

"It's part of the atmosphere," Nue said. "They took the idea from the outside world, where slang terms were common in certain establishments. Don't know if that's still done on the outside, since nothing's come through the border from anywhere for five centuries, but Mystia decided to use it."

"…I see."

All of a sudden, the background noise faded to nothing. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Byakuren said.

"What is happening?" Levia asked.

Nue indicated the raised platform. "Mystia's about to put on a performance. See those three on the stage, there?"

"I see them. They do not live, do they? They feel similar to the dead. I believe they are ghosts of some variety."

"Poltergeists," Nue said. "Those are the Prismrivers. They play music. And the bird youkai stepping up onto the stage is Mystia Lorelei."

"Lorelei. This place bears that name. Is it hers?"

"It is. She originally had a food stand in the forest nearby, where she specialized in lamprey eel. It was only recently-about four years ago-that she opened this place. She decided that she wanted a place where everyone could come for a meal, regardless of what they are or what they eat. She still has the stand, and most of the time, she still runs it herself, but sometimes she makes appearances here. She does some of the cooking-that's always been one of her passions-but she also puts on performances, singing being her other passion. By the way, if you have to speak during the show, whisper."

The Prismrivers had no need for 'amplifiers' or other equipment that had apparently been common in the outside world. Somehow, their music just sounded the way they wanted it to, even if that should require more or different instruments than they had, and it could be heard clearly by the entire audience. Similarly, Mystia had no use for a microphone; her voice was strong enough and carried well enough that she simply didn't need one. How she could sing multiple vocal parts simultaneously, nobody knew, but in Gensokyo, one learned quickly that it was pointless to ask 'how'.

There was no preamble; as soon as the performers were ready, the show began. The Prismrivers played, and Mystia sang:

[BGM=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9PCXDh0LxM&fmt=18](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9PCXDh0LxM&fmt=18)]

_I can't feel my senses  
_ _I just feel the cold  
_ _All colors  
_ _Seem to fade away_  
I can't reach my soul

_I would stop running_  
 _If I knew there was a chance_  
It tears me apart  
 _To sacrifice it all  
_ _But I'm forced to let go_

_Tell me I'm frozen_  
 _But what can I do?_  
Can't tell the reasons  
 _I did it for you_  
When lies turn into truth  
 _I sacrificed for you_  
 _You say that I'm frozen  
_ _But what can I do?_

"Interesting," Levia said, keeping her voice down to a whisper. "Many such people would smell of pride, but there is no such scent among any of those four."

"The Prismrivers are poltergeist musicians," Nue said, also in a whisper. Playing their music is their purpose. And since these are poltergeists, that's meant literally. As for Mystia, she just loves to sing. Always has, as far as I know."

"That was my conclusion, as well."

"There's no need to think about anything like that," Byakuren said, keeping her voice down as well. "Just enjoy the performance."

[end BGM]

* * *

"I will confess that the entire concept of a 'restaurant' makes little sense to me," Levia said as the three of them exited the building. "I understand getting food from someone, or even having a meal specially prepared by another, but turning it into some form of… entertainment, or what else you would call it? That, I cannot understand."

"Sometimes," Byakuren said, "people just want to spend time together. Places like Lorelei's are quite good for such things. The atmosphere helps, too, I would have to say."

"As do the performances," Nue said.

"True. They are quite skilled performers. But I think that truly appeals to people is that Lorelei's is a place where they can come to relax, to briefly forget their worries. And in today's world, such a thing is more important than ever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it looks like Levia is none too fond of Shades.
> 
> Some of you may question my portrayal of Tenshi, but remember, five hundred years have passed. In that time, she's gained an increased respect for proper strategic and tactical thinking, although she does still enjoy the fighting part just as much.
> 
> We also had our introduction to Mira Hakurei, both the current Hakurei maiden and the ancestor for whom she was named. Anyone who read Orphan probably recognized the scene where the original Mira sealed Byakuren. I tried writing a different version, but nothing I came up with was as good, so I just reused the one from Orphan, although I did rewrite it to be from Nue's perspective instead of Byakuren's, and also made some minor phrasing changes and the like.
> 
> The restaurant scene came about as a result of me wondering what such an establishment might be like in Gensokyo. Not one that catered just to humans, but one that was open to all. The variety of youkai in Gensokyo would necessitate a very wide variety of dishes. And then I wondered what people might think of eating next to someone who was devouring a just-killed animal, and it went from there. The slang terms (many of which are real-life slang terms) were just for fun. I had it be Mystia's place simply because I wanted to have her sing. And no, I don't know how she can perform multiple parts or the Prismrivers can play more instruments than they have or play ones they don't have. It's Gensokyo; just go with it (note: this chapter was written before Double Dealing Character was a thing, so the Prismrivers were the only canonical musicians at the time) By the way, the song Mystia sang, for those who are curious but for some reason didn't click the link, is Frozen, by Within Temptation. The reason I chose Within Temptation is because I think their lead vocalist has a good voice for Mystia.
> 
> Anyways, that's all for now. As always, reviews are encouraged and appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5: Outside Influences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nue, accompanied by Yuugi and Levia, heads to the tengu's village, the Aerie, in search of Shades. Mokou and Kaguya also head for the youkai mountain, hoping to learn more about Utsuho.

**Chapter 5  
** _Outside Influence_

"Actually," Yuugi said, "I have come across something like that. Didn't know what it was, but it certainly didn't look natural. There are eight of them, right?"

"Yes," Nue said. "Eight pieces. This one's already in the tablet, and if you really do have another, then that's number two."

"I have it," Yuugi said. "It's back at home, but I have it. Kept it as a prize; it was a fairly nasty group of Shades that dropped it."

"I see."

It was the morning after returning from Seafront, and Nue was already eager to get started hunting Shades. Yuugi, of course, had been eager to join her, as had Levia. At the moment, Nue and Yuugi were heading into the village center to find Mamizou, the best person in the village to go to for news, gossip, rumors, and the like.

Mamizou could usually be found in a small tavern in the village center, where she often sang. She wasn't nearly as good as Mystia, but she wasn't at all bad. She liked it because of how much one can overhear in a tavern.

Mamizou was there when Nue and Yuugi entered, and she quickly made her way over to the pair. "Hey, Nue."

"Hey, Mam'."

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

"56,392."

"With a margin of error of plus/minus anything, since you made that number up on the spot."

"Seventy-three percent of all statistics are made up on the spot."

"Sixty-one percent," Mamizou said. She turned to Yuugi. "And hello to you as well."

"Hi," Yuugi said. "Nue says you're the best person to ask about Shade activity."

"Ah, yes. Going Shade hunting, aren't you, Nue? Heard about that from Tenshi. Not surprised Yuugi's decided to join you. And what about that woman you found yesterday, Levia? I understand she has a fairly strong dislike of Shades, too."

"She is fairly likely to come, but we need a destination first."

Mamizou thought for a minute. "I think I have one for you, but I can't say it'll be pleasant. It seems there's been significant Shade activity near the Aerie."

"I'll go wherever Shades are," Nue said.

"Me, too," Yuugi said, "but you're right, Mamizou; it's not a pleasant destination."

"Have you been there?" Nue asked.

"Yeah, once, about a couple weeks ago. I don't think they were very happy to see me. 'Course, tengu've never been too happy to see an oni."

"Trust me," Mamizou said, "it has nothing to do with you being an oni. They treat everyone like that."

"Whatever. Long as there's Shades to kill, I don't care. We've got our destination, Nue. Let's get moving. The sooner we get there, the sooner Shades start dying."

* * *

_The old tengu village, or what's left of it, was abandoned long ago. It took a lot of damage in the initial Shade attack, and the berserk kappa machines didn't do it any favors, either. The tengu remained there for quite some time, but the village never managed to recover. Some moved to other towns and villages, but most wanted a new tengu village. So they built one, one they decided to call 'The Aerie'._

_The Aerie is not your ordinary village. The tengu chose a location most would have stayed far away from. The village was built on the walls of a narrow-and very deep-canyon at the base of the mountain. Basically, it's all built against cliff walls._

_The only 'buildings' in the village are the small, cylindrical houses. Wooden walkways, ladders, and rope bridges connect them to each other, and to the few circular wooden platforms between the cliffsides. These platforms rest atop long, long poles that go all the way down to the ground._

_All this makes the village extremely difficult to navigate on foot. Not that this bothers the tengu, since they can all fly. Most youkai can, although some can't. And, of course, there are also many humans who can't. You might think that, since the tengu don't need them, all these bridges and ladders were made with visitors in mind, but only if you've never been there. Or heard accounts of what the place is like. Namely, accommodating visitors is the last thing the people there would do._

* * *

"The Aerie," Byakuren said. "Such a sad place. If only they would be more open."

"It's their choice," Nue said. "As much of a shithole as the place is, it's their choice to have it be that way."

"I hardly think 'shithole' is appropriate, but you're right that they live as they choose to, even if it is the wrong choice. They would be much better off were they only more open to others."

"Well, they're not, and I don't need them to be. As long as someone can point me to the Shades, I'm happy."

"Are you sure about this, Nue? I don't want you risking yourself like this."

"I'm doing it," Nue said. "I'm not letting this thing take you."

"I… I don't want it to take me, either, but… I'm not sure you can stop it."

"It's hurting again, isn't it?"

"It is," Byakuren said. "Not as sharply as yesterday, but it's holding for longer. It should fade again soon."

"That's not how it usually happens. The pain's supposed to come slowly. But yesterday, it came on suddenly, and now you have it again. Way outside the norm."

"Yes," Byakuren said. "I… Nue, there's no way to know how much time I have left."

"As much as you want. I'm not letting this thing take you."

"Nue, you know this is a long shot."

"It's a far better lead than any other I've found. And if it leads to nothing, then I'll find another to follow."

"If only it were that simple. I don't want to die, Nue, but… it may not be possible to prevent it. What are you going to do if that's how it is?"

"It won't be. I'm not stopping until I find a way."

"And if you can't? Nue, what are you going to do if I do die?"

Nue was silent for a while. "I… I don't know Byakuren. I just… I don't know."

* * *

When Mokou made her way out of Seafront, she found Kaguya waiting for her. "Trying to leave without me?"

"Yes," Mokou said.

"Oh? And what happened to not abandoning me?"

"I'm not. I brought you here. You'll be fine here. So now I'm leaving you here."

"Sorry, but no. Hell, even if you had left without me, I'd have come on my own. I do know where you're going, you know."

"Then go on your own. But not with me."

"Geez," Kaguya said, "with that attitude, you'd think you were upset over something I did."

"You've done plenty."

"True, but that's not what this is about. This is about what you did. Mokou, at some point, you're going to have to forgive yourself."

"What makes you think you know anything about that?"

"Getting thousands of people killed with my 'Impossible Requests'."

"Shut up," Mokou said.

"Okay. Better hurry, or I'll get there first!" Kaguya shot into the air, heading towards the mountain.

Mokou watched her fly away. _Damn it,_ she thought as she took to the air herself.

* * *

Nue landed a short ways up the mountain, Yuugi and Levia touching down beside her. "Next direction," Levia said.

"Right through that cave," Nue said, pointing at the cave in question. "Just a short way through there, and we're at the Aerie."

Before they could head for the cave, the area in front of them suddenly filled with a purple mist. The mist soon cleared, leaving the figure of a woman in its place. "Unfortunate souls come to visit the mountain, lay your misfortunes bare before me."

Yuugi stepped forward. "Who the hell are you?"

"I am Hina Kagiyama, god of curses and misfortune, and you are within my lands."

"She's not important," Nue said. "Just another of the gods that live here. Hasn't had this kind of attitude before, though."

"Nue Houjuu," Hina said. "I haven't seen you since before the Radiance."

"Shows how much attention you pay to 'your' lands, doesn't it? I have been here a few times since then. Not frequently, but it's happened."

"You and others never showed me the respect and reverence due a god, but that time has long since passed."

"Okay," Nue said, "let's just keep this simple, okay? We're heading for the Aerie to kill Shades."

"You can't ignore me any longer," Hina said, "can't simply push me aside. I used to be weak, but misfortune now rules Gensokyo, and my power has reached entirely new levels."

Nue sighed. "Good for you. Congratulations and all that. Now, please allow us to pass. I'd rather not waste time here."

"Still you try to push me aside," Hina said. "Still you try to keep your distance from me. Do you know how much time I spent in isolation? How long I was alone? But no longer is that the case. People come to me now, offering faith in exchange for my blessing. They are desperate for a respite from the misfortune of their lives. And I can provide them with such a thing. No longer am I a neglected deity, a lost god wandering the mountain alone."

"I don't think she's entirely sane," Nue remarked to her companions.

"I think we just hit a sore spot," Yuugi said. "You're trying to move quickly, but she was reminded of this solitary past of hers. I've only just met her, but it looks to me like she fears being left alone again, and fear can make people act irrationally. Yeah, she could've given a better introduction, but she's probably used to playing that role for its impression on the locals."

"I will not be left alone again," Hina said. "I will not accept solitude again. You can't cast me aside now. My power is far greater than you know. No longer can you or anyone el-"

Levia dashed forward without warning, grabbing Hina before the goddess could react and slamming her into the ground. Then she picked Hina up and ran her into and through several trees. She then wrapped her whip around Hina, and the other end of her whip around her own arm. She punched Hina in the gut, and Hina went flying back. Until Levia pulled back, yanking Hina back to her. She hit Hina again, and again pulled her back. She continued in this manner, repeatedly sending Hina flying but then pulling her back for another hit. Over and over and over. Eventually, Levia released Hina from the whip, grabbed her by the leg, and spun her around through several more trees before slamming her into the ground, still holding the leg. She swung Hina over her head and slammed her into the ground again. She repeated this several more times, then she, still holding Hina by the leg, leapt into the air. She spun Hina around and flung her into the ground.

Levia landed in front of the completely stunned and dazed Hina. "You overestimate yourself."

Nue and Yuugi were speechless. Yuugi recovered first. "Holy _shit_ , Levia."

Levia turned to face her. "Was that… excessive?"

"Yeah, but who cares? That was the best thing I've seen in a thousand years!"

"Yes, it was excessive," Nue said.

"She is a god," Levia said. "That will not kill her. Had I meant to kill her, I would have had to approach the battle in a significantly different manner."

Yuugi laughed. "'Battle'? That wasn't a battle. That was the greatest beatdown I've ever seen!"

Nue walked over to Hina. "Are you all right?"

All Hina could manage was a barely-audible moan, after which she passed out. Nue turned to Levia. "Do try not to be immediately hostile to anything but Shades."

"You were correct," Levia said. "She is not entirely sane. When you expressed a desire to move on with our purpose here, you touched in her a constant fear, one that, I can tell, she has harbored for a significant period of time. Combat was going to occur; had you continued to express a desire to continue with our business here, she would have attacked before allowing us to continue. I simply struck first."

"I don't know if the situation was beyond salvaging."

"You do not know others' emotions as I do. Had you made such an attempt, Hina, rationality already giving way to her constant fear, would have seen this as an attempt to divert her from such concerns and brush her aside as was done to her in the past."

"That's not rational."

"As I said, you were correct to say that she is not entirely sane. Your desire to move on quickly immediately marked you as a threat to her somewhat fragile state."

"I still think you should've waited a bit."

"Who cares?" Yuugi said. "That was awesome."

"Whatever. You do realize this presents us with a problem, right? I don't think just leaving her here is exactly the best idea."

"Then we bring her with us," Yuugi said. With one hand, she picked up Hina, carrying the goddess over her shoulder as the group moved on.

* * *

Kaguya landed in a clearing near the top of the mountain. _Almost at the top, where the shrine is. I think. I'll ask Mokou. She should be here in three… two… one…_

Mokou landed in front of Kaguya. "What are you doing? This isn't where Kanako's shrine is."

"I've never been there. Kanako visited me once, but I've never been to the shrine."

Mokou sighed. "You're useless. Just keep going up. The shrine's at the top."

"Okay," Kaguya said. "Let's-"

"You are here to visit the shrine?"

The pair spun around to see a woman approaching them. "I can lead you there," she said, "but first, I would have your names."

"Mokou," Mokou said, "and the pain in the ass is Kaguya."

"Ah, the immortals of the forest. I've heard of you, though it's been some time since either of you was last seen. I am Shizuha Aki, goddess of autumn."

"'Shizuha'," Mokou said. "I've heard that name before. You're that harvest goddess' sister, right?"

"I am. She spoke of you a few times. Said she saw you often at harvest festivals and other such occasions. At least, she used to. You left shortly before the Radiance, did you not?"

"Yeah. I've been living underground for the past five hundred years. But, well, things have changed recently."

"Things have been changing rather steadily over the past five hundred years. For the worse, unfortunately, and it has taken its toll on me and my sister. But I don't want to burden you with my problems. You're bound for the Moriya Shrine, correct? That is my destination as well. I'll take you there."

"Thanks," Kaguya said. "Let's-"

Something moved by overhead, and all three of them looked up. "Shades," Shizuha said. "Tengu-types."

"Then we're in for a fight," Mokou said. "Tengu-types don't act alone."

"I think these ones are," Shizuha said. "There were a few scattered groups around without other Shades yesterday, too. They're why I'm bound for the shrine; I intend to confer with Kanako and Suwako on this."

"I didn't see any on the way here," Kaguya said.

"Well, be that as it may, they are clearly here now."

"And all these trees'll make seeing and targeting them difficult," Mokou said. "I guess we're walking. Irritating." She sighed. "Well, let's get going. Lead the way, Shizuha."

* * *

"I do not understand why we are walking through this cave," Levia said. "Could we not fly into the village directly? For what reason must we land elsewhere and pass through here?"

"If any outsider flies into-or within-the village," Nue said, "the tengu will attack them immediately. They interpret it as an act of aggression. They insist that everyone enter through here. Not that they're happy to see you even then."

"Maybe you should go in on your own," Yuugi said. "You won't need help just to ask questions, and you can change what you look like, can't you? Just go in as a tengu, and they won't be so hostile, right?"

"They're hostile to anyone who doesn't live there, other tengu included, and I've barely even seen anyone here. No way I could pull off an impersonation. No, we'll have to put up with their attitude."

As the group neared the exit, they came to an opening in the side of this cave. This opening led outside the cave, to a fairly decent-sized clearing surrounded by the rock of the mountain. A small shelter stood at the far end of the clearing, against the rock wall. The structure had only three walls; the side facing into the clearing had no wall and was completely open.

Yuugi turned into the clearing, Nue and Levia following behind her. "This is a good place to set Hina down," she said. "I'll wait here with her; we shouldn't carry her around any more than we have to, and it'll probably make things harder on you if an oni goes in with you."

"I was thinking the same thing," Nue said. "We'll be back once we have a lead on where to find the Shades."

Yuugi set Hina down on the small bed in the shelter, then took a seat on the chair that was its only other furnishing. "We'll be here. Do try and make it quick, though. I'm eager to get Shade hunting."

"I'll make it quick. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to, anyways. Come on, Levia."

"Why is that structure there?" Levia asked as she followed Nue back into the cave.

"Only the people of the Aerie know," Nue said, "and as one might expect, they aren't telling."

"Are the people here truly so hostile to others?"

"You're about to see for yourself."

* * *

"The Shades seem to be causing trouble everywhere," Kaguya said as she and Mokou followed Shizuha up the mountain.

"Indeed," Shizuha said, "although we have that situation more under control than does anywhere else in Gensokyo, I think. Kanako and Suwako have made a point of eliminating every shade they're able to locate, and they're quite effective at it. They can't actually sense the Shades, of course, not even on this mountain, their domain, which their senses extend throughout. But they have other ways of knowing what's happening on the mountain, and they've proven able to locate the Shades very effectively. And their reliable elimination of these Shades has garnered them a great deal of faith. Which, of course, enables them to do even more."

"I imagine they had more to start with, too," Mokou said. "Adversity always drives people to the gods."

"True," Shizuha said. "Most of the mountain's gods have seen at least some increase in faith since the Radiance, although it hasn't sustained for all of us. Hina Kagiyama, goddess of curses and misfortune, is one of the two who've benefited most."

"Who's the other?" Kaguya asked.

"The god who has benefited the most," Shizuha said, "is actually me."

"You? Aren't you some autumn goddess?"

"She is the goddess of turning leaves," Mokou said. "She's seen as a symbol of death, and in a dying world, it's hardly surprising that her faith has increased."

"I represent _change_ ," Shizuha said. "Death is not an end, but a change. It is the transition from one state to another. The leaves change, the seasons change, lives change, everything changes. Change is the one constant. Death is simply a great change; the transition from life to death is the greatest change one goes through."

"Either way," Mokou said, "it's due to the state of the world that you've been getting more faith."

"Yes," Shizuha said. "Significantly more. I have not tested myself against Kanako or Suwako-we ill need to fight among ourselves with the world in this state-but I may well have surpassed them." Her voice quieted. "But it's not enough."

"What do you mean?" Kaguya asked.

"Huh?"

"You said 'it's not enough'."

"Oh. Um…"

"What's it not enough for?"

"…My sister, Minoriko."

"The harvest goddess," Mokou said. "Of course."

"I don't get it," Kaguya said. "What's going on?"

"I told you that there is less and less fertile land."

"Yes, I think I recall you mentioning that. Is that affecting your sister, Shizuha?"

"When it began," Shizuha said, "the people had faith that she could stop it, and her power grew. But she failed to halt the spread of infertility. She hasn't even been able to say anything about its cause. She says she's never felt anything like it."

"And her failure has hurt her faith."

Shizuha nodded. "Before the Radiance, I was weak, too weak to exist on my own. Nobody gave faith to a god such as I. I would have long since faded had Minoriko not shared her faith with me. Now, our positions are reversed. I am the one with faith and power, far more than my sister or I ever dreamed of having, and she is the weak one. As she failed again and again to halt the spread of infertility, people's faith in her faded. Even now, she is nowhere close to as weak as I used to be, but she is far less than she was before the Radiance. Or would be, if not for me. As she once shared her faith, now I share mine. And I have far more of it to share. Thanks to me, she now is actually far stronger than she was before the Radiance, but even when I gave her all of my faith save that which I needed to exist, she could do nothing to halt the spread of infertility, not even when Kanako and Suwako added theirs. It cannot be halted. It will continue to spread until naught remains untainted, and then only you two and the fairies will be able to survive."

It was Kaguya who broke the resulting silence. "That was grim."

"My apologies," Shizuha said. "I didn't mean to burden you with such issues."

"Why not? You can't get help if you keep your problems to yourself."

Shizuha gave a derisive snort. "Nobody can help."

"I can."

"Un-huh. And just how would you be able to help?"

"Okay, so it wouldn't actually be me, but Eirin can solve your problem. There isn't any problem she can't solve. I'll put her on it right away." She paused. "Well, as soon as I find her."

"I won't hold my breath," Shizuha said.

"Oh, would it kill you to show a little optimism?"

"Optimism has no place in a dying world. The sooner you realize this, the less it will hurt."

"Optimism always has a place," Kaguya said. "There's never a time where things can't improve."

* * *

"This is a gloomy place," Levia said.

"Yeah," Nue said.

"It feels… dead. I know there are people here-I can sense them-but even simply from looking around, it is easy to forget this. There is not even a single person in sight. Never before has there been a place so lifeless."

"Be glad everyone's in their homes. Makes our job easier. Nobody to get in our way. We'll only have to deal with hostility from one person."

"Who would that be?"

"The village chief. If anyone here has seen Shades, the chief will've heard about it."

"Do you know where we can find the chief?"

"Up there," Nue said, pointing above to the right, "but we'll have to navigate through the village. We don't want the tengu treating us as aggressors."

Levia took another look around. "The homes appear more like storage units than places to live."

"Yeah. We call them 'huts', but only because we can't think of anything that really does fit."

"I hope you know where we are headed. The layout of this place is confusing."

"I've been to the chief's hut before. Follow me."

Nue led the way. She and Levia crossed the first platform and its bridges, then climbed a ladder up to the top level. They crossed a platformless bridge back to the other side, then made a short ladder climb up to the highest area in the village, a small section with two huts. They passed by the first hut and stopped at the second. "This is it," Nue said. "Across, up, across, up, second hut. Fairly easy to remember, fortunately. The hut is close to the entrance-to allow the chief to easily see when someone's entering-and that helps a lot."

"It still seems needlessly complex. Why can they not simply have a ladder up from the entrance?"

"Only they know," Nue said, "and as you might guess, they aren't telling."

"I see. This is our destination, is it not? Let us ask what we are here to ask; I wish to remain in this place no longer than I absolutely must."

"Agreed," Nue said. She approached the hut and knocked on the door. There was no response, so she knocked again. And then a third time. "Hey! People at the door here!"

That finally got Nue a response. "Leave."

"Yeah, hello to you, too."

"You aren't welcome here, outsiders."

"We heard that there's been unusual Shade activity in the area."

"Good for you. Now get out."

"We're here looking for them. Can you tell us anything?"

"No."

Nue sighed. "Look, all we want to know is where the Shades are. Tell us what you know, and we'll leave."

"I don't know anything about any damn Shades. Now get the hell out."

"We desire only information," Levia said. "Your refusal to provide it only prolongs our presence here, as we will depart as soon as we have obtained it."

"I don't know, okay? Yeah, people've been seeing Shades, but people are always seeing Shades. They're kind of all over the place."

"We're looking for unusual activity," Nue said. "Has there been anything beyond normal sightings?"

"No. Are you done yet?"

Nue sighed. "Let's go, Levia," she said. "I don't think we're going to get anything useful out of him."

"Agreed," Levia said.

"Has he been telling the truth, at least?"

"I…" Levia paused. "That is… unusual. I do not know, Nue. Something is wrong here. I cannot tell. How was I not aware of this until now?"

"I wouldn't know."

"The question was rhetori- wait. I do sense… something. I don't know what it is, but it seems to be interfering with my sense. I cannot sense anything but it, and it is like nothing I have felt before, though it does remind me somewhat of Shades."

"Right," Nue said, "then come on. Let's get back to Yuugi, and fast. Over the side!"

Nue leapt off of the walkway in front of the chief's hut, landing below by the village entrance. Levia came down a couple seconds later. "I thought such things were seen as signs of aggression."

"Only going up," Nue said. "They don't seem to object to jumping down. Now come on, let's move."

* * *

 

The shrine was empty. "They are not here at the moment," Shizuha said. "Hunting down some of these Shades, most like."

"Right," Mokou said. "Guess I'm waiting, then. You can leave any time, Kaguya."

Kaguya sat down on a rock. "Not happening."

"Right. Mind sticking around as well, Shizuha? I'd appreciate the company of someone decent."

"I do intend to wait here," Shizuha said.

"Aw, what's the matter, Mokou?" Kaguya said. "You don't want to spend some quality time alone together?"

"Shut up," Mokou said.

* * *

[BGM=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMf-kDeAYCY&fmt=18](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMf-kDeAYCY&fmt=18)]

Nue and Levia returned to the clearing to see Yuugi slam two Shades into each other, then slam them into the ground, destroying them. "Oh, hey," she said, looking up as the pair approached. "I found some Shades. Or they found me. Whatever. Anyways, I took 'em out."

Nue looked over at Levia. "You didn't sense them?"

"I can sense nothing but the unknown something. It is overpowering, drowning out everything else. And I believe it is approaching." A thudding sound became audible. "Also, it would seem to be quite large."

It was only a moment later that the creature appeared, climbing down the rock wall. The large creature did bear some resemblance to the Shades, appearing to share their composition and black/yellow coloration, though it did not share their shadowy, half-extant, shifting appearance; they were all completely solid, but unlike Shades, this creature actually looked it.

The creature planted its forelegs on the ground, supporting its perch on the wall. It gripped the wall with its left hind leg, the only other one it had. Its body stretched back beyond that third leg, curving up and back out over it as a large tail, which ended in what looked to be a crudely-formed hand. Its head narrowed to a point, its mouth lined with sharp teeth. Its eyes appeared to be little more than glowing circles near the point. Some sort of bulbous sack, looking as though it was composed of several smaller sacks, hung from the creature's neck.

Yuugi moved quickly, dashing forward and grabbing Hina from the shelter. She lept back, placed Hina in the cave, then came forward to rejoin Nue and Levia.

"What the hell is that thing?" Nue said.

"What I have been sensing," Levia said. "It may be related to the Shades, but I cannot say so for certain."

"Well, I guess we should ask questions later. Right now, we fight."

"There are tengu-types in the air," Yuugi said. "They showed up with the other Shades."

"Then we stay on the ground. Let's do this."

"First strike!" Yuugi charged forward. The creature raised its left foreleg and slammed it down, creating a shockwave on the ground. Yuugi leapt over the shockwave and punched the creature's face into the ground. It pushed itself up with both legs, slamming back into the ground and creating a much larger shockwave. Yuugi pushed off of the creature, flipped over the wave, and landed next to Nue and Levia as they came down from their leaps over it.

The creature opened its mouth, spewing out a large, chaotic spread of shots. Nue and Yuugi expertly weaved through the shots, whereas Levia simply cleared out the ones heading in her direction with her whip. The creature spewed out another spread. "Get in there and cream it," Nue said. "I'll cover you."

Nue formed three rainbow UFOs and sent them towards the creature. The UFOs sprayed shots in front of them as they moved forward. They were weak shots, but even weak shots could cancel out the shots of Shades, and this creatures magic behaved no differently.

The UFOs took positions around the creature's mouth in a triangular formation, aiming their sprays just in front of the mouth, which almost immediately cleared out each spread it fired. It tried to swipe the UFOs away, but Nue, still in control of their movements, was able to get them out of the way easily. And the UFOs made it easy for Yuugi and Levia to move in on either side of its head. They punched it simultaneously, then Levia slammed its head into the ground.

The beast struck with its hand-shaped tail. Both leapt aside, then Yuugi leapt on top of the tail and began hitting it. The creature swung it upwards in response. Yuugi leapt off, only to get hit intothe wall when the creature swung its tail to the side. She pushed herself off, dropping to the ground beside Nue. "Got a nice hook for something without hands," she said. "Maybe we should call you that."

"Whatever," Nue said. "I'm more concerned with winning."

Levia was still right up in the creature's face. It slammed it's tail down in an attempt to strike her, but she sidestepped, and when the tail struck the ground, she grabbed it and swung, spinning the creature Yuugi had dubbed 'Hook' around once before releasing, sending it into the wall it had been clinging to.

The creature backed up to the top of the wall. Its tail bent down behind it, as though it was reaching for something. Then it swung its tail back over, throwing several spherical… things into the area. "Right," Yuugi said, "now what?"

"They look Shade-like," Nue said. She pierced the nearest one with her trident, and it disappeared. "Vanish when killed the same way, too."

Levia whipped one, and it vanished. "They are easily killed."

The remaining spheres opened fire, each one sending a stream of standard Shade-style shots in a random direction. The objects turned while firing, directing their fire towards Nue, Yuugi, and Levia, although which of the spheres targeted which of them seemed to be random. As they fired, Hook threw in another set of the things. Nue dismissed the rainbow UFOs and formed several green ones, which immediately opened fire, aiming their beams at the spherical creatures. As was normal against Shades, the attack was less effective than physical strikes or close-range magic, but the spheres were weak enough that they still died quickly. And the beams tore through their straight streams of shots even better than the rainbow ones did against spreads. "I've got these," Nue said. "Hit that thing."

"It is above us," Levia said. "Our lack of access to proper flight will make physical combat difficult, and you are better at a distance."

"She's also the best at thinning herds," Yuugi said as another set was thrown in. "'Sides," she added, grabbing one of the spheres and throwing it into Hook's face, "it's not like we don't have options. This thing is being thoughtful enough to provide us with weapons; it'd be rude not to use them.

Levia ensnared one with her whip and flung it into Hook's face. "I suppose they will suffice."

Nue turned one of her UFOs on Hook. "If you two are using a few of them, then I can spare a beam for the big one."

Hook threw in another wave. Yuugi and Levia tossed a few back, and Nue handled the rest. This continued for another two waves, until Hook dropped down to its previous position. As Nue took out the remaining spheres, Levia ran in and slammed its head into the ground again. Then Yuugi charged in, ran up onto it's back, jumped up and grabbed it by the tail, then spun it around and slammed it back into the wall.

Hook retreated up the wall and scurried off in a different direction. "It's heading into the village," Nue said, dismissing her UFOs. "After it!"

* * *

"It's been a while," Kaguya said. "Are those two usually gone for this long?"

"No," Shizuha said. "In fact, it's unusual for both to be gone at the same time. Not unheard of, though. It's happened before. Quite abnormal, however."

"Do you think they're busy dealing with Shades?"

"I would assume so, and given the abnormal activity we've been seeing recently, it's not unreasonable to think that this might be busying them both. I would assume that they are indeed both dealing with…" Shizuha trailed off, and was silent for a few seconds.

"Um, Shizuha?" Kaguya said.

"…Death."

"Excuse me?"

"I sense death. From the tengu village, the Aerie."

"From a village? Are they under attack?"

Shizuha flew off without bothering to answer. "Right," Kaguya said. "Come on, Mokou."

"Come on where?"

"To go help."

"Go on your own," Mokou said. "I'm not here to help everyone who might possibly need it. I'm here on my own business, to figure out what to do about Utsuho, and that takes priority. Shizuha can take care of whatever problem the tengu have. The tengu I remember from before moving underground wouldn't need help, anyways. But if you want to go be a hero, knock yourself out."

Kaguya said nothing.

* * *

The trio emerged from the cave and quickly looked around. Hook was easy to spot; it was on a platform one level up. "I say screw the rules," Yuugi said. "Let's just fly up to the damn thing."

"Look up," Nue said. "There're still tengu-types in the air. We'll have to navigate this place on foot. Come on."

Nue led the way across. The trio climbed down a level, then ran over to the next ladder and took it up two levels. "The layout of this place makes little sense," Levia remarked.

"Indeed," Nue said. "Okay, let's go."

They ran across a bridge to Hook's platform, very close to the other side. As they arrived on the platform, Hook grabbed one of the huts with its tail. It shook the hut, and several of the spherical objects flew out of it, landing on the platform. "More of these," Nue said, "and that hut couldn't hold this many of them. Is it using that hut to make them or something?"

"Nue," Yuugi said, "blow up that tank! Levia and I will handle these!"

Yuugi kicked one of the spheres off the platform, then grabbed one and threw it into another. Levia wrapped one with her whip and swung it around, knocking several others flying. One of these happened to fly at Yuugi, who met it with a kick, sending it into another.

Nue took aim and fired a beam from her trident, landing a direct hit on the hut. It didn't penetrate, though, so Nue kept it up until the hut exploded. "Wasn't expecting the blast."

Yuugi took out the last of the spheres. "Who cares? Let's hit the thing. Levia, throw me at the tail! I need help to get at it without getting hit by the tengu-types!"

Levia took hold of Yuugi and threw her. Yuugi grabbed the tail by one of the fingers as she hurtled by, spun Hook over her head, and slamming it into the cliff wall. She spun around and hit the wall feet-first, kicking off of it and landing back on the platform.

Hook recovered quickly. It scurried along the wall at a surprisingly high speed before stopping. It was straddling what appeared to be a three-level scaffolding construction, complete with scattered piles of wood. It stretched sideways for a distance, before turning into a vertical stack that reached up to a higher level, ending by a bridge leading across with another platform in the middle. "Looks like they're expanding the village," Nue remarked. "Okay, here's the plan. Yuugi, into the scaffolding. Drive it up to that platform. Levia, you and I are going to circle around, get up there, wait for it, and hit it hard."

"Got it," Yuugi said. She ran across the bridge, into the scaffolding, and found that several more of the spherical objects were scattered throughout all three levels. "Guess there are still some of these left." Yuugi ran straight ahead, punching the one in front of her back into the next before either could train their fire on her. She ignored the ones on the levels above her and simply ran across, shoving aside the pile of wood in front of her. Another sphere lay beyond, and its fire was already directed at Yuugi. Yuugi just ran through the fire, grabbed the sphere, and threw it into Hook's face. Hook backed up a bit, revealing more spheres. "Okay, then," Yuugi said, "we'll just do it again."

* * *

Nue and Levia took their positions on the platform. "It is fortunate that you are here," Levia said. "I do not believe that I could effectively navigate this place on my own."

"I don't actually know the layout of the entire place," Nue said, "but I saw the ladder leading up to this level. It was quite simple, really, especially for this place."

The pair waited, and they didn't have to wait long. Yuugi drove Hook back across the scaffolding, then pursued it upwards until it leapt from the wall, landing on the platform. And when it landed, Nue and Levia struck immediately. Nue dove underneath the creature's head and struck at the sack-like thing hanging from its neck with her trident, while Levia simply punched it in the face. Then Yuugi ran in and punched it in the face herself.

Hook leapt back to the edge of the platform. It raised its head and spat several of the spheres onto the platform. "Oh, come on," Yuugi said, "more of these things?"

Nue formed more green UFOs. "I'll take care of them. You two just beat the shit out of that thing."

"I like that plan." Yuugi charged, Levia beside her. Hook lunged forward, and they broke their charge to dodge. Nue, who still had her UFOs out, didn't react as quickly, and though she did evade the charge, Hook proceeded to swat her, the blow breaking her focus, causing her UFOs to unform, and sending her flying off the platform..

Nue quickly stopped her fall. Plummeting to the ground below wasn't too much of a worry for someone who could fly, but in this case, the tengu-types would make things irritating. She wouldn't be able to hit land before they'd hit her with the slowdown field, so she'd have to take them out before she could effectively move around in the air and get to somewhere she could land. And they were annoyingly hard to hit. She'd have an easier time than most, thanks to her UFOs, but she'd still be out of the main fight for a while, and- _wait, why the hell haven't I been slowed yet?_ She took a look above herself. _Where the hell'd they go?_

Nue quickly returned to the platform and landed. "Don't rely on this," she said, "but the tengu-types seem to be gone at the moment."

Hook slammed its leg onto the platform, forming a shockwave which the trio leapt over. "They don't just leave in the middle of a battle like that," Yuugi said. "Someone else must've drawn them off. You think Hina woke up?"

Levia tossed the last remaining sphere into Hook's head. "It is not likely. I would think she will be unconscious for a while longer."

"Then who-"

Something slammed into Hook from above, hitting it into the platform hard enough to knock pieces off of the platform. It leapt down onto the platform in front of the trio, dispersing its barrier of leaves to reveal the figure of a woman. Hook spewed out a spread of shots, only for the woman to call up a storm of leaves and rip through it. Hook took a swing at her, which she leapt over, following up by slamming Hook's head into the platform again.

Yuugi didn't waste a moment. "Levia, with me!"

Yuugi and Levia leapt into the air and grabbed the creature's tail. "Flip it and slam it," Yuugi said. "Hey! You two might want to move!"

As Nue and the newcomer flew away, Yuugi and Levia spun Hook over their heads and, with all of their strength, threw it into the platform with enough force to send Hook through the platform, destroying it and leaving Hook impaled on the pole that had supported it.

[end BGM]

* * *

"So," Keine said, "how long are you planning to stay?"

"As I said yesterday," Tenshi replied, "I intend to stay for as long as I can. Things are getting crazy up there, and it's getting harder and harder to get away, even though they don't really need me for anything. Everyone insists on involving me in everything. You'd think they'd realize I never contribute anything, but they don't. People keep trying to push me into an actual leadership position, which I have no desire to take. I'm not interested in participating in running the place."

"Yes, that wouldn't suit you at all. What's going on up there, anyways?"

Keine had just finished the day's lessons at the schoolhouse, and Tenshi had been there waiting for her. They were walking through the village to Keine's home.

"The increased Shade activity has everyone panicked," Tenshi said. "I've told you how close things were when the Shades first appeared, and even though we have a lot more capable fighters now than just myself and Iku, people are still worried that we'll be hit with something we can't handle. Ironically enough, the fact that the Shades haven't appeared in anywhere close to threatening numbers since then probably adds to this; if there had been a real threat, people would've seen just how much better prepared we are now."

"That would likely help," Keine said. "We're in far more danger than you are up in heaven, but the result of that is that we've faced that danger more, and proven that we can handle it. Most of the villagers are more worried about themselves or their families, especially those who go out into the fields, beyond the relative safety the village offers."

"And they're humans, too," Tenshi said. "That alone puts them in greater danger. They may be more used to danger, but they're weaker than us Celestials or other youkai."

"A truth," Keine said. "We've been fortunate to have Byakuren and Nue. Mamizou, too; she may not be very effective against Shades, but she can certainly take charge of the people if needed, freeing me up to fight. We do have fighters here, of course, but they simply can't perform as well as myself, Byakuren, or Nue. Even Mamizou can outdo most of them."

"But you've managed."

"We've managed. I'm worried about what's happening to Byakuren, though. Losing her alone would be bad enough, but if it leaves just myself and Nue as capable fighters, the village suddenly becomes a lot more vulnerable."

"She's immortal, though, isn't she?"

Keine nodded. "Due to the essence of fairies, according to her. But this is something different, something unlike any other cause of death Gensokyo's ever seen. I don't know what will happen. Um, have any Celestials fallen to the Black Scrawl?"

"Just one," Tenshi said. "We've had a total of two cases. One was a few years ago, and she did, of course, die. The other began last week. One of our leaders. He's not dead yet, but we all know he's going to be. That's one of the reasons heaven's in an uproar. But we'll survive. We already have a successor ready."

"That's good," Keine said. She paused for a moment, then sighed. "This has gone on for too long, to desensitize me to such things so much."

"It's bad, all right," Tenshi said. "Most Celestials don't realize how good we have it. We're relatively safe up there. Until our first Scrawl victim, we hadn't lost anyone since that first attack. And she's our only loss since then, at least until the current victim dies. You've had it much worse."

"We have," Keine said. "But we've managed. We manage."

"That you do."

* * *

Yuugi and Levia joined the other two on the nearest intact platform, watching as the creature thrashed for a time before falling motionless. And then, just like Shades, it vanished.

"I had not the knowledge that others were here," the newcomer said. "Perhaps my presence here was not necessary."

"Indeed," Levia said. "It seems quite clear that our efforts would have been more than sufficient on their own."

"Still, it was better for me to come, as I knew not that you would be here. I would much rather come where not needed than fail to come where I am needed. Anyways, allow me to introduce myself. I am Shizuha Aki. I remember you, Yuugi the Strong, from before the oni relocated to the underground, but your companions I have not met."

"Yeah, I think I remember you, too," Yuugi said. "The harvest goddess' sister, right?" Shizuha nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Anyways, this is Nue Houjuu, and this is Levia."

"Greetings," Shizuha said.

"Nice to meet you," Nue said. "Um, I kind of need to go look for something."

"Oh? What would you be searching for?"

"A small, black object," Nue said. "If it's here, I'd assume that… thing would have had it, so it'll have fallen way down there to the bottom after that thing died." Nue produced the tablet. "They're connected to this. There are a total of eight spaces, though as you can see, not all eight are empty."

"Yes," Shizuha said. "It would seem that you already have two of these objects."

Nue nodded. "One was in this when we found it, and Yuugi has another at… her… home… that we never went to go get." She looked at the tablet, and there were indeed two of the black objects within it. "Huh. That's interesting."

"I would postulate that it was drawn to the tablet upon the creature's death," Shizuha said. "I can sense a sort of… attraction between them. It is weak enough that I would not be surprised if it could not take effect while the object was still in that creature's possession, but once the creature died, the object could most certainly be drawn to the tablet on its own."

"Even though the tablet was in the nether?"

"Such objects are still physically present. A nether-state would not affect something like this."

"I require an explanation," Levia said. "What is this 'nether' you speak of?"

"I don't know if anyone actually understands it," Nue said. "I guess Mira'd be the most likely to, but I don't know for sure. Don't need to understand how it works to use it, though. It's some sort of combination of physical being and physical non-being, combined with a magical connection to the one who placed it in the nether."

"It's what happens to your whip when you're not using it," Yuugi said. "It goes into the nether."

"I see," Levia said.

"Very few objects can be placed in the nether," Nue said. "They have to be magical in nature. Obviously, your whip qualifies, and my own weapon was imbued with magic upon its creation, so it also qualifies. Most of the stronger youkai have magically-imbued weapons; even if we don't forge them ourselves, we do tend to infuse them with our own power during their forging, simply so they work better for us. And those who don't usually have someone else do it for them, so the weapons at least have enhanced durability and can be stored in the nether. Anyways, only magic or heavily magic-imbued items can be stored in the nether, and most items aren't magic enough to be stored that way. It's great for stuff you can use it for, though. This tablet and the objects are magic enough that it works with them."

"I see," Levia said again.

"Well," Shizuha said, "it would seem that the situation here is under control. What business brings you to the mountain, exactly? Was it to find that object?"

"Yes," Nue said.

"Then will you now be departing?"

"Actually, I've been thinking of going by Nitori's shop."

"Nitori?" Yuugi said. "That kappa engineer?"

Nue nodded. "She's less engineer and more blacksmith these days. I thought we should maybe get you a weapon."

"I appreciate the thought," Yuugi said," but that's not my style." She thought for a moment. "Unless maybe she makes me a set of gauntlets. Maybe some greaves, too."

"That's what I was thinking."

"In that case, yes, let's go pay her a visit."

"Do you know the way?" Shizuha asked.

"I've been there before," Nue said. "Thanks for the offer, but it's unnecessary."

"Very well, then," Shizuha said. "Perhaps we will meet again at some point, but until then, farewell."

Shizuha left, and Nue turned to her two companions. "Right. Let's go retrieve Hina and get out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess which scene was inspired by The Avengers. Go on, guess.
> 
> Right, so this chapter had the battle with Hook. In NieR, you actually fight it twice (once in the clearing and again later on in the village), but I combined the two into a single fight; I don't really have any reason to have Nue and co. fight it twice.
> 
> That's really all I have to say about this chapter, so I'll end by saying that any comments on the story would be greatly appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6: Relics of the Old World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events in the Aerie, Nue's group stops by Nitori's workshop, and ends up on a hunt in an old facility known as the Junk Heap. At the same time, Mokou and Kaguya finally meet Kanako and learn what they can about Utsuho and the god whose body she consumed, the Yatagarasu.

**Chapter 6  
** _Relics of the Old World_

 

"This is the place," Nue said.

'The place' looked like the beginnings of some sort of construction. Fences were up, and various materials were scattered around. Only two structures stood. One was a house, a fairly small one. An additional room, with a separate door, was attached. The other structure was much smaller, and the door was unusual. It was clearly made of metal, was recessed a ways into the wall, and seemed to be split down the middle. There was no handle or other obvious means of opening it, though there was a small panel next to it with a button and a small slot.

"Doesn't look like much," Yuugi said.

"It isn't much. Nitori and her sister don't really think they need anything more."

"I didn't know she had a sister."

"Yeah, Mitori. Nobody really seems to know all that much about her. Apparently, Mitori was living on her own underground somewhere until a few years ago."

"Really? There was a kappa down there?"

"Apparently, although she supposedly lived somewhere off by herself, far away from everyone else who was down there."

"I see."

Nue approached the attached room. "This time of day, she's likely in the workshop." She knocked on the door. When there was no response, she knocked again, harder, but there was still no response. "Hey! Nitori!"

A startled cry and a _thump_ were heard from inside. A few seconds later, a very dirty Nitori opened the door. "Oh! Customers!"

"We are," Nue said. "We were in the area, so I thought we might see about acquiring a little something for Yuugi, here."

"You're in the right place," Nitori said. "Please, come in."

* * *

_The tengu village wasn't the only one to be destroyed; the kappa lost their village, too. In fact, the kappa village was hit much harder. Like the tengu, the kappa initially tried to rebuild, but eventually decided that they would instead relocate. But they moved much farther, off the mountain completely. All the way to the desert, oddly enough. They built their new village around a large oasis. The kappa moved there, but not all of them. Like the tengu, some went elsewhere. One kappa, however, remained near the old village. That kappa, of course, was Nitori._

_Before the Radiance, the kappa were constructing some sort of facility within the mountain, widely believed to be related to the underground center where the hell raven Utsuho had powered and run a so-called 'nuclear reactor'. It was a fairly expansive facility, whatever it was meant to be, and they did manage to finish the actual structure. Whatever it was originally meant for, though, that purpose was lost when the machines took over._

_The kappa had designed and built what they called a 'security system'. Apparently, they wanted the place to be very secure, and they built machines for that purpose. This security system was put into place during the initial construction of the structure, so it was completed well before the actual facility was ready for use. The machines were to protect and secure the facility while the kappa used it for… well, for whatever purpose it was intended. But then the Radiance happened._

_When the Radiance happened, construction of the facility was halted. The plan was eventually cancelled as everyone recovered from the event and adjusted to life in the changed world, and the facility was abandoned. Nobody went to it at all for a couple hundred years._

_It was practicality that finally led the kappa back there; they were in need of materials, and had decided to scavenge what they could from their abandoned facility. But when they went inside, they found that the machines had taken over. They were acting on their own; 'outside their programming', the kappa called it. Essentially, they were doing things they were never meant to do. Like mining the mountain for materials and making more of themselves. Or appearing to think._

_The machines attacked the kappa, driving them out. Then they launched a counter-attack on the kappa village. The kappa fought back and drove the machines off, only to find themselves facing a Shade attack immediately afterwards, this being the attack that destroyed the village._

_In need of materials to rebuild the village, the kappa attacked the facility. They destroyed most of the rouge machines, and as much of their 'self-replication' equipment as they could find. Then they pulled out, taking as much material with them as they could._

_Not all of the machines' equipment was destroyed. The machines replaced their losses, but did nothing else. And when kappa teams went in again to scavenge more material, they found that the machines were acting far less intelligently than before. They concluded that in their attack, they'd taken out the 'hub'-the brain of their security system, basically. They said that whatever caused their robots to act against their programming was located in that hub. Destroying it reduced everything connected, including the robots, to a more basic level of functionality._

_The kappa, as I previously mentioned, eventually abandoned their ruined village, but people still occasionally entered the facility, which had become known as the 'Junk Heap', to scavenge for metals and other materials. Nitori, who stayed behind, relocated her home to just outside the Junk Heap, and is the one who enters it the most frequently, gathering the materials found within._

* * *

"So, Yuugi" Nitori said, "you want something that can add a little something extra to your hits."

"Yeah," Yuugi said, setting the still-unconscious Hina down. "We were thinking a set of gauntlets."

"No problem," Nitori said. "I'll need the right materials, though. Not just anything will hold up to use by an oni."

"My trident's held up just fine for thousands of years," Nue said, "and I don't think it's made of anything special. It hasn't even needed any repair. Sure, I'm no oni, but still, that's pretty good. Won't infusing it with magic during forging be enough?"

"In most cases, yes," Nitori said. "Magic infusion is enough with most weapons-swords, spears, axes, maces, whatever-even if it's an oni using the weapon. But gauntlets are different. You're not holding them like you do with most weapons; they fit over your hands and feet. They can't be completely rigid like swords or other such weapons. They're more than just variously-shaped hunks of metal; they have to be flexible. You don't want hand motion to be restricted. Far harder to make than a shaped hunk of metal like a sword, and far harder to make hold up to the same force. So I'll need something harder to start with."

"Do you have anything like that?"

"Depends. Don't know what Mitori brought up today. Let me check." Nitori opened the door between the workshop and the house. "Hey, Mitori!" She paused. "Mitori!" Another pause. "Mitori?" One more pause. "Huh. That's odd."

"You said 'brought up'," Nue said. "Has she been in the Junk Heap?"

"All the time. She does most of the work getting materials. She's not as good at working with them, but she's far better in combat than I am. She gets the stuff, I work with it. Normally, she's back up well before now. Hold on for a moment." Nitori ran into the house for a minute, then returned. "Yeah, she's not here. That's a little worrying."

"How dangerous is the Junk Heap?"

"Not too bad. Robots are predictable. Once you know their patterns, it's easy to beat them. The only real danger they pose is in numbers. There are a lot of them, and new ones are made to replace any that are destroyed. Never more than replacements, though; since we took out the A.I. core, they aren't able to act beyond their base programming. Base programming that's a hell of a lot different than what we gave them, but it's pretty easy to figure out what it contains just through observing their actions."

"Right," Nue said. _Whatever 'programming' is._ "So, basically, you're saying that they don't really think. I think that's what you're saying, at least."

Nitori nodded. "That's right. So, yeah, they're fairly easy to deal with, but they do have the advantage of numbers, and since they replace losses, we can't just clean the place out. Unless we exhaust their materials, but they seem to keep getting more. Nobody's been able to figure out where they're getting the materials. They don't leave the Junk Heap, and there are no signs that they're mining this mountain anymore, not since we took out the core. And this mountain doesn't have all the stuff they use, anyways. But yeah, you have to fight a lot of them if you go in, and I'm not so good at that. I can do alright, but Mitori is much better at combat. She'll be deeper in than I can get."

"I see. So it's been Mitori's job to go in there."

"Yeah."

"And she's not back yet."

"That's right."

"And she should be."

"Yes."

"And you can't go in far enough to look for her."

"Correct."

"You're going to ask us to go look for her, aren't you?"

"Um… yes," Nitori said. "I'd go myself, but I can never get very far."

"Are there any Shades in there?" Yuugi asked.

"Shades? Uh, no. Why?"

"Because I've made it my business to kill them."

"Oh. Well, no, none in there that I know of. But…"

"'But'?"

"Well, some of the robots, especially the turrets, can shoot out Shade-style magic shots. I don't know how. Magic of any kind, even just danmaku, should be impossible for robots to use, but these use it."

"Interesting," Yuugi said. "Perhaps the Radiance had something to do with whatever's going on with your 'robots', then."

"It's possible. We abandoned the place when the Radiance happened, so yes, even though we didn't know about anything for another two centuries, it could most certainly have started then."

Yuugi looked over at Nue. "Think it's worth checking out?"

"Do you?" Nue said.

"Well… no, not really. I hunt Shades, and even if they use the same 'magic', the robots probably aren't Shades."

"They aren't," Nitori said. "They're robots. Metal and all that. Most of the material Mitori brings out is from robots she destroyed."

"So I can't say that I'm all that interested in the Junk Heap. But what about you?"

"Well," Nue said, "if the pieces I'm after are held only by Shades, there wouldn't be one in there, unless… Nitori, were there ever Shades in there at any point?"

"Not that I know of," Nitori said, "but the kappa don't exactly run the place anymore. And we didn't pay attention to it at all for those first two hundred years. Shades could have easily gone in at some point."

"Still probably not a likely spot to find one of the pieces, although I'd look there if we exhausted all the more likely places. But it's not just about Shades, Yuugi."

"You thinkin' rescue mission?" Yuugi said.

"Or a missing person search, at the very least. And hunting shades isn't all I do. Besides, I don't know that I want to just ignore this, And if I did just walk away, Byakuren would never shut up about it. So I think I'm going to go in. That said, though," she turned back to Nitori, "I don't work for free."

"Oh, I understand," Nitori said. "Most people I wouldn't expect to do it at all, but you've got a reputation for doing all kinds of jobs, so I thought I'd ask you about it. How's this: you come out of there with my sister, and I don't charge you for the gauntlets."

Nue thought for a moment. "Fair enough. You'll still need the materials, though, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if I see some while I'm in there, no reason not to grab it. What do you need?"

"Mythril would be the best," Nitori said.

"'Mythril'? I don't think I've heard of that."

"It was Sanae Kochiya who first identified it, back before the Radiance," Nitori said, "and she was the one who named it. Apparently, it's common in fantasy stories from the outside world-or was when Sanae came to Gensokyo, at least."

"I suppose it makes sense that it would turn up in Gensokyo, then," Nue said.

"Yeah. Pretty rare, but very useful. Strong, lightweight, basically the ideal material. Don't know if there's any in there, though. We used some in the construction of the main hub of the security system-and nothing else, because it's rare enough that that's all of it we had-but that's what became the A.I. core, and that was taken out. We couldn't find the mythril, though, so it may still be in there somewhere, but none of it has ever been found, so don't count on coming across it."

"We'll likely have to settle for something else, then," Nue said.

"Yeah. Look for what we call 'memory alloy'. Only some of the tougher robots have any, though, so you'll have to go in a ways. Although you'll probably go in deep enough while looking for Mitori. You'll know the robots if you see any; they're the large, humanoid ones."

"Got it," Nue said. She turned to her companions. "Are you two coming in with me?"

"Why not?" Yuugi said. "Never beaten up machines before. Might be interesting."

"I shall accompany you as well," Levia said."

"All right, then." Nue turned back to Nitori. "Can you look after HIna while we're in there?"

"Sure," Nitori said.

"Thanks. Anything else we should know?"

Nitori handed Nue a card and a small stack of papers. "You'll need that card to use the elevators. That small thing outside is one of them. You'll need to use them to get between floors. And this is a map of the facility, separated by floor. The last couple pages may not be completely accurate, though; nobody's been all the way in since our initial attack on the place, so there may be some changes. Unlikely, but possible."

"We'll keep that in mind. All right, then. Yuugi, Levia, let's head in."

* * *

"Ah, visitors. It looks like I've kept you waiting. I apologize for this."

Mokou and Kaguya stood and faced the shrine, from which a woman was emerging. _I guess it makes sense she can just appear in her shrine whenever she wants,_ Mokou thought. "It's not a problem."

"You are the forest immortals, yes? Mokou and Kaguya, I believe."

"Indeed," Kaguya said. "Greetings, Kanako."

"It's been some time since either of you was last seen," Kanako said. "What brings you to me?"

"I'm sure you remember the hell raven Utsuho," Mokou said. "After all, you're the one responsible for her obtaining her power."

"That's right. There've been sightings of her above-ground recently, I've heard. I've been meaning to look into it, but lately, the Shades have been keeping both myself and Suwako busy."

"My understanding is that Shade activity has been on the rise for the past month," Kaguya said.

"Yes, that's right."

"They attacked the underground about a month ago," Mokou said. "The oni city was destroyed, and most of the oni died."

"Yes. At least some made it out, though, and they seem to be doing all right."

"Doesn't make what happened to them any better."

"No," Kanako said, "it doesn't."

"Utsuho started behaving oddly right after that attack," Mokou said. "She's gone somewhat crazy."

"Like before? When she first gained her power?"

"No," Mokou said. "Different."

"And it's my fault," Kaguya said, "at least to some extent."

"Please," Kanako said, "elaborate."

* * *

_Mitori Kawashiro has an… interesting ability. She has the ability to 'forbid' things, to prevent them from happening._

_This ability has its limits, of course. The first one is fairly obvious, and that is that she has to know about what she's forbidding. She has to be aware of the possibility she is forbidding. If, for example, she wanted to forbid herself sustaining a leg injury, she would have to know that sustaining such an injury was a possibility._

_Another limitation is scale. The larger an event's scale, the harder it is for her to forbid it. Anything that would affect more than a fairly small number of people or a fairly small area is simply too hard for her to forbid._

_In addition to those limitations, Mitori's ability only takes effect once per use. If, for instance, she were to forbid herself sustaining a leg injury, this would take effect the next time she would have sustained one, preventing it, but would then expire, and Mitori would have to forbit it again to continue having protection. So, yes, she could forbid herself taking a hit, but she would need to reapply the effect after every time she otherwise would have been hit. Which can be tricky in the middle of battle, and can wear her out over a longer fight._

_The other significant limitation is that she has to maintain the effect. She can't simply apply it and forget about it; each forbidden event requires effort to maintain. A very small amount, usually, but it is still there._

_Don't mistake these limitations as meaning that Mitori's ability isn't potent, because it is, very much so. It's one of the most useful abilities I know of, despite its limits. But even the most potent of abilities has limits, as I have seen proven time and again, perhaps most notably by Yukari's death. No matter what the ability, nobody is without limits, and anyone-expect immortals-can die._

* * *

Nue inserted the card into the slot on the elevator panel. It didn't go in all the way, but the button lit up anyways. "Well, maybe it's built that way. Makes it easy to pull it back out, I guess." She hit the button, and a faint noise could be heard. It briefly got louder, after which there was a 'ding' sound and the two halves of the door slid away from each other, revealing a small chamber. "Guess we go in."

When all three of them were inside, the door closed. "Now what?" Yuugi asked.

Nue indicated a panel beside the door. The panel had two buttons on it, one labeled 'S' and the other '1'. The button labeled 'S' was lit. "Let's press the lit one," she said. But when she did so, all that happened was that the door opened. "That didn't work. Let's try the other one." She pressed the '1' button, and the doors closed. Then they felt the chamber start to descend. "Yeah, I think that worked."

[BGM=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4VA8furPFs&feature=watch-vrec](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4VA8furPFs&feature=watch-vrec)]

Before long, there was another 'ding', and then the door opened, revealing a corridor. "I think this is it," Nue said as the three of them exited the elevator. "Welcome to the Junk Heap, I guess." She took out the map and examined it. "An odd layout. Looks like this floor has just one path for a while, but it's got a lot of turns. And several rooms along the way."

"Right," Yuugi said. "Let's go."

The trio moved through the corridor into the first room. Waiting the room were five… machines. "These must be some of the robots," Yuugi said.

The machines came to about two-thirds of Nue's height. They were blocky-looking things. They had no legs or wheels, instead rolling on treads, which only added to the blocky look. There was a rectangular object, presumably meant as an arm, on either side of the main body, each of which ended in not a hand, but a pair of metal prongs. Each robot had two yellow lights on top of it.

"Odd-looking things," Nue said. "Let's see what they can do."

"Me first," Yuugi said. She charged the robots, delivering a punch to one that sent it into the wall. She brought her fist down on top of a second robot, caving its body in. A third robot aimed the prongs on its arms at Yuugi and closed in. Yuugi moved to attack, but when she got to just a couple feet away, electricity shot out from the prongs, zapping her and knocking her back into the caved-in robot, which was now fiercely smoking and shorting out. Then it exploded, throwing Yuugi forward and into the third robot's electricity again, which once more knocked her back.

Nue fired a beam from her trident and swept it across the room, blasting away the remaining three robots, all of which exploded a couple seconds later. "They seem to go down easily," she said. "You okay, Yuugi?"

Yuugi was already on her feet. "You kidding me? That was nothing. I'm tougher than that."

"That is certainly accurate," Levia said. "Even so, however, perhaps it would be best if you held back and allowed Nue and I to deal with the robots, as she and I can strike from beyond their apparent range."

"Yeah, not happening. I just won't run at the ones with lightning coming out of their arms."

"And back off once you've hit them," Nue said. "It looks like they explode when destroyed."

"I can handle that. Come on, let's go."

The trio entered the next corridor and made their way into the next room. There were a few more robots in it, which Nue quickly blasted. Then four panels on the ground, one in each corner of the room, slid open, and four cylindrical objects rose from the floor, a tube extending from each. The four objects began firing magic shots from the tubes while rotating back and forth, sweeping their shots across the room.

As Nue formed rainbow UFOs to counter the shots, Levia leapt on top of the nearest of the objects. She punched a hole in the top of it, then thrust her hand in and swept through the interior with blasts of water. The object visibly and violently shorted out, sinking back into the floor amidst shorts and explosions as Levia jumped to the ground, and the panel slid shut. Levia fired streams of water at the remaining three objects, aiming for the tubes. This didn't work quite as well; the shorts were less violent, and the objects continued firing, though at a slower pace.

Yuugi ran up to the nearest of the three objects and ripped its tube off. This didn't stop its fire but did hinder its aim, as the shots began firing out wildly without the tube to direct them. Ripping out the tube also left a hole in the object, which Levia fired another stream of water into. That one worked much better; the turret shorted out, and amidst explosions, sunk back into the floor. Yuugi and Levia repeated the process with the remaining two objects, taking them out.

"Well," Nue said as she dismissed her UFOs, "I guess those were probably the 'turrets' Nitori mentioned."

"They shot magic a lot, yeah," Yuugi said. "Still pretty easy to take out, though."

"They did not seem capable of directing their aim vertically," Levia said. "This could well be used to our advantage to enable a safe approach to any others we encounter."

"Or I could just clear the shots out like I did this time," Nue said. "Or next time I can just blast the turrets themselves."

"Yeah, but that's no fun for me," Yuugi said. "'Sides, I think the turrets are a little sturdier than those other robot things."

"Maybe, but I don't think they'll give us any trouble."

"Right," Yuugi said. She indicated the room's exits. "Well, let's move on. Which way?"

Nue took a few steps towards the two side-by-side paths onwards, then stopped, taking out the map. She looked at the map, then looked up at the paths, then back at the map, then at the paths, then at the map, then at the paths, then at the map again. "Well, great."

Yuugi came up beside her and took a look at the map over Nue's shoulder. "What's up?"

Nue pointed at a room on the map. "We're here. The elevator was here, meaning we entered the room from this direction, through this path. Which means we should exit this way. But the map shows only one other path."

"And this room has two."

"Yeah. Nitori said the map might not be accurate further in, but she seemed to think it was accurate near the entrance."

"Huh. You sure you're looking at the right page?"

"This is the first page," Nue said, "and we're on the first floor."

"So why's there a two on the page?"

"Huh?"

Yuugi pointed at the number on the lower-right corner of the page. "The page has a '2' on it."

"I didn't notice that," Nue said. She flipped to the next page. "And this page has a '1' in the same place. And an elevator labeled 'entrance'. And if we trace the path from it, the second room has two paths forward. I think this is the correct page. But why was the second page first?" She flipped to the next page.

"That one's labeled 'B1'," Yuugi said.

"These aren't page numbers, then," Nue said. "They're floor numbers. Second floor, first floor, then I'd guess first basement floor, then second basement floor, and so on."

"An odd numbering scheme," Levia said. "The switch to 'basement' labels seems completely arbitrary. If the other floors were above the ground, it would make sense, but this entire facility is within the mountain."

"They probably just called the first floor they built the first," Yuugi said, "and went from there, building only one floor above it but multiple below it."

"The right path here has an elevator," Nue said, looking at the correct map page this time. "It says the elevator goes up to the second floor. There's another elevator further on, down the left path, that goes further down. Not sure why they couldn't have one elevator reach multiple floors, though."

"Who knows?" Yuugi said. "Let's not worry about the mysteries of kappa architectural design, and just keep moving."

"Right," Nue said. "Let's take the right path first. The second floor only has the one elevator, so it'll be a dead end. We'll search it first before heading further down. It sounded like Nitori didn't think Mitori'd be up here, but we should search the entire place anyways. I don't want to end up missing her because we weren't thorough enough early on."

"Works for me," Yuugi said. "Let's go."

[pause BGM]

* * *

"I may be the one who gave Utsuho her power," Kanako said as she led Mokou and Kaguya into the shrine, "but it's not something I've ever had any sort of control over. It was the Yatagarasu's power she gained; I merely presented the dead god's body for her consumption."

Mokou and Kaguya found seats. "I know," Mokou said, "but you know more about it than anyone else."

"I don't know that I would say that. You, Mokou, have spent the last five hundred years with her. You probably know more about it than I do."

"About what she can do with it, yes, but when it comes to how it works? She's tried to explain it to me, but I simply couldn't understand it. I'm not sure what 'nuclear physics' is, but I know it's confusing as hell."

"When you get that advanced into a topic, you'll find very few people who understand it," Kanako said. "I don't understand it, myself. I can at least enlighten you as to the nature of her power, though. It is, after all, divine in origin."

"Then please," Kaguya said, "enlighten us."

"A god's strength comes from faith," Kanako said. "The more faith we have, the stronger we are. Too little faith, and life fades from us."

"You die."

"Yes. Many gods met such ends in the outside world."

"They didn't move to Gensokyo like you did?"

"It's no easy thing for a god to relocate to a separate realm. We are connected to our lands. I moved my shrine to Gensokyo with me not just because I wanted to. Had I not brought it with me, I would have faded quickly."

"I see. Surely other gods could have done the same, though."

"Suwako and I barely managed it working together. By the time most gods realized they could not gather enough faith to sustain themselves in the outside world, they didn't have the power to bring their lands through the barrier. And many others chose not to leave their followers, even when those followers were too few in number to provide enough faith."

"There are other gods here," Mokou said. "Are they ones who resided in Gensokyo before its separation?"

"Yes," Kanako said. "Gensokyo was chosen to be the land of magic because it already bore an unusually large concentration of magic and related beings. It was already a land of youkai and magic. There were always a number of gods who dwelled here."

"That makes sense."

"Many gods met their deaths from a lack of faith. The Yatagarasu, the god Utsuho consumed, met its end in a different, though related, manner. The Yatagarasu is the only god who has ever committed suicide."

There was silence for a while. Eventually, Mokou spoke. "Suicide. A god killed itself?"

"Yatagarasu did not desire to live having abandoned its followers; it, like many gods, considered such a thing to be far worse than death. I, on the other hand, see it the other way around, that it is they who abandoned us. Humans chose to move away from magic, away from the supernatural. I see no reason to show loyalty to such people."

"I think you're letting your personal views slip in to your explanation," Kaguya said.

"Perhaps I did, but it was important to state Yatagarasu's feelings on the matter, as they are why it committed suicide. Abandoning its followers, in its mind, was far worse than dying, so it would not relocate to Gensokyo. But it knew our kind could not survive in the outside world, knew before the rest of us did. Knew before Gensokyo's separation, a time at which the rest of us thought that gods still had a place in the world of humans.

"The Yatagarasu did not want to abandon its followers, but neither did it want to end its days as a fading god. It didn't want to 'harm its legacy' by having its followers see its decay. So it chose to end its own life. Normally, this is impossible for a god, but as I said, we cannot be separate from our lands."

"It came to Gensokyo when the separation was done," Mokou said, "didn't it? It knew that if it was in a separate realm, it would die."

"Yes," Kanako said. "It chose the old Hell of Blazing Fires as its place of death, and it laid there until I fed it to Utsuho."

"A history lesson, then," Mokou said. "I thought you were going to talk about Utsuho's power."

"Utsuho's power is the Yatagarasu's power," Kanako said. "Even in death, a god's power remains. By consuming its corpse, Utsuho also consumed its power, and so gained it for herself. But she is not a god. She has a god's power, but she is not limited by faith. A god's power is greater than any other, but we are limited by faith. If not for that, our only limits would be ourselves and our power, just as it is for all others. But the power of a god, unrestricted by faith, is far greater than any other in Gensokyo. Utsuho's limits are far, far beyond yours."

"I can't die," Mokou said. "Unless she can keep going forever, I'll win eventually."

"She can't keep going forever without rest, no," Kanako said, "but neither can you. Even though you are immortal, you have your limits. You can push yourself only so far before you can go no further. Eventually, you will wear yourself out and be unable to continue fighting. Is that not how many of your battles with Kaguya end?"

"It is," Kaguya said. "We would indeed often keep going until one of us couldn't go on any longer. Of course, we do get closer to that point each time we're killed, so whoever died more usually wore out first. We can't die, but killing us will wear us out faster."

"Utsuho, too, can be worn out," Kanako said, "but as I said, she has the power of a god without the limits of faith. Even the strongest in Gensokyo would wear out completely well before she would."

"Don't underestimate us," Kaguya said. "Sure, maybe our power isn't on the same level of hers, but Mokou and I are the most skilled fighters in Gensokyo. Our bodies and powers have been trained far beyond what anyone else in Gensokyo has done. Thirteen hundred years of constant battle has that effect. Both of us have progressed far beyond our initial limits. Those battles we'd have that only ended when one of us was completely worn out? Those often lasted the entire day. It's not exactly easy to wear us out."

"True," Kanako said. "You do have that going for you. And yet you said that Utsuho defeated you quite easily in your battle yesterday. Can you tell me why that is?"

"It's…"

"I didn't witness that battle," Kanako said, "so let me ask you this: did you fight to the best of your abilities?"

After a moment of silence, Mokou spoke. "I didn't. I took the same approach I do for most fights: charge in and take the enemy down. Even if I were against someone of equal power, I could fight like that because of my immortality The only opponent I've ever truly had to fight well against is Kaguya. Immortality doesn't give you an advantage when your opponent is also immortal."

"I didn't fight very skillfully, either," Kaguya said.

"Change that next time," Kanako said. "If the two of you fight as well as you can, you may have a chance."

* * *

[resume BGM]

The second floor had nothing of note, just a few robots. It took little time to sweep the floor, after which Nue, Yuugi, and Levia returned to the first floor and continued on. Eventually, they came to a room with three ways onward. "Which way?" Yuugi asked.

"The right path leads to the elevator down," Nue said, looking at the map. "The other two just lead to rooms. We'll check the left one first, then the center one, then head down to the next floor."

They went left, finding nothing but robots in the room. One of the robots was different, though. Its 'arms' were different, and the lights on it were red instead of yellow. While the yellow robots advanced towards the trio as usual, the red one stayed back, and instead of the electricity that the yellows used, it began firing magic shots.

Nue fired a beam from her trident, sweeping it across the room to take out all the robots. "Huh. I guess they do have more than the turrets and the yellow-light things."

"They're still weak," Yuugi said.

"It's supposed to get more dangerous further in, remember? We may run into tougher ones on the lower floors."

The trio left the room and checked the one remaining room on the floor, finding nothing but another group of robots. So they proceeded to the elevator and took it down to the first basement level. "What's this floor look like?" Yuugi said.

Nue flipped over to the 'B1F' map. "Fairly twisty," she said, "but there aren't a lot of side paths. It's mostly a single path all the way to the elevator down."

"Makes searching easier. Let's get moving."

[pause BGM]

* * *

"They've been gone a while, haven't they?" Tenshi said. She and Keine had arrived at Keine's home, and were sitting on the porch.

"Yes," Keine said. "I wasn't expecting them to be gone for so long. They must have found something."

"They can handle it," Tenshi said.

"Most likely, yes."

"They're looking for Shades, right? To get the rest of those black things?"

Keine nodded. "Nue believes they hold the key to curing the Black Scrawl."

"Let's hope she's right. Gensokyo has enough problems; we hardly need some crazy disease to deal with on top of all that."

"Agreed." Keine paused for a moment. "I suppose some good came of all this, though. Relations between humans and youkai are better than they've ever been."

"A common enemy'll do that," Tenshi said. "It takes a lot to settle millennia-old conflicts, but a mutual threat can do just that."

"Things would be peaceful now if the Shades were gone."

"Yeah, but at least there was some good in all this. You should know that better than anyone."

"True," Keine said. "I was so used to hiding what I am that I didn't realize how hard it was. A non-hostile relationship between humans and youkai is a benefit to everyone, but I'm one of those who have benefited more personally. In more ways than one."

"I guess you would have been kicked out for having a relationship with a youkai back then, huh?"

"Indeed I would have," Keine said. "I'm very glad that this is no longer the case."

"So am I," Tenshi said.

* * *

[resume BGM]

When this room's two turrets were destroyed and sank back into the floor, they each left a small, spherical object behind. "What the hell are these things?" Yuugi said.

"No idea," Nue said. "I haven't seen anything like them before."

"They don't seem to move." Yuugi picked one up, and it began beeping. "Makes noise, though." She paused. "This is about to explode on me, isn't it?" She tossed it aside, and it did indeed explode. "Right. Why the hell did those two turrets leave bombs behind?"

"And why only these two? Although I suppose this place hasn't made any sense so far, so why should it start now?"

"True," Yuugi said. "Another thing to add to the 'doesn't make sense' list: why is the path forward blocked by a wooden fence?"

Nue walked up to the fence, which completely obstructed the corridor. "No idea. Doesn't seem like something that could keep much out."

"It might stop some humans."

"True, but they could probably use those bombs to get rid of it."

"If the fence is intact," Levia said, "then it seems unlikely that Mitori came through here."

Yuugi pointed back to where she'd picked up the bomb, where another was visible. "The bomb came back. Why can't a fence?"

"We shouldn't make assumptions," Nue said. She looked at the map. "We're on B2F now, and through here is the elevator down to B3F, which looks pretty… simple?"

"What?"

"There's no elevator further down on B3F," Nue said. "It doesn't have an elevator. But there's a B4F on the map." She turned to that page. "Let's see, it says its elevator is connected to… 1F?" She turned back to the 1F page. "None of the 1F elevators are marked as going to B4F. And I don't remember any of them having more than two options, either."

"Then how do we get to B4F?"

"We can go back and ask Nitori. But since we're already here, let's check B3F. It's just a room, then a big chamber, then another room, so it shouldn't take long."

"Right," Yuugi said. "I'll get the door." She walked up to the fence, tore it away, and tossed it aside. She and the others walked through, but when they glanced back, the fence was in place again. "Huh. I guess it really does come back."

"Then we'll remove it again on our way out," Nue said. "Let's go." She led the group into the elevator, and hit the button to go down once all three of them were aboard. The door soon opened, and they stepped out into B3F.

"The path forward here is also obstructed," Levia said, indicating the big metal door across the room from them. "Although someone appears to have found a way through already."

"Yeah." Yuugi approached the door, examining the hole torn in the bottom. "Too small for any of us."

"Mitori's fairly small," Nue said. "She could probably fit through there."

Yuugi tested the door's strength. "Seems too strong for a kappa to rip a hole in. Don't know what it's made of, but it'd be tough even for me to do this."

"I wonder if it's the 'memory alloy' Nitori mentioned. We haven't seen any humanoid robots, so let's grab some of this on the way out."

"I'll rip it off, then."

"Not if it'll take a while," Nue said, "not yet. I think I can get us through more quickly, and Mitori's probably past here. We'll get it on the way out." She walked up to the door and examined the hole more closely. "Mitori probably reacted in time to forbid this door from blocking her passage, with this as the result."

"How are you gonna get us through?"

"Like this," Nue said, and as she said it, she began to change. Her form became that of a large snake, which easily slipped through the hole. A few moments later, the door slid up, revealing Nue back in her normal form. "A door can always be opened; that's kind of the point of a door. I didn't see a way to open it on that side, which meant there had to be one on this side." She indicated a button on the wall. "And I was right."

"Ah," Yuugi said. She looked up, where the torn portion of the door had caused it to get stuck. "Doesn't look like it opened all the way, though."

"That is hardly significant," Levia said.

"True enough."

"Let's go, then." Nue led the way into the next room. The trio found themselves on a metal walkway above a large drop. In the middle of the circular room was a large, cylindrical object of some kind, which the walkway extended to the top of. There was another walkway on the other side, leading to another door. "That's… interesting."

"Okay," Yuugi said, "I've gotta say it: what the hell is this?"

"What purpose does a chamber such as this serve?" Levia said.

"I don't know," Nue said. "We can ask Nitori. Or Mitori, if we find her. I don't see her in here, though. Let's check the last room."

The group proceeded forward, but as soon as they stepped onto the circular 'platform' that was the top of the cylinder, a loud noise sounded. "That can't be good," Yuugi said.

As the noise continued, the door they'd passed through slammed back down. Then the walkways were drawn back from the platform. "Not sure what purpose that's supposed to serve," Nue said.

The loud noise ceased, and then an odd-sounding voice came from seemingly nowhere. **"Warning! Warning! Intruders in core chamber! Deploying Geppetto defense system!"**

"I think that means we're about to be attacked," Yuugi said.

"I hear its approach," Levia said.

"Get ready," Nue said.

[BGM=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWSkW8TKrXc&feature=relmfu](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWSkW8TKrXc&feature=relmfu)]

The enemy quickly appeared, rising up from below and hovering just past the edge of the platform. "It's… a giant robot head," Yuugi said. "With hands just floating beside it. I'm gonna go with 'what the hell?'."

"It is an enemy," Levia said. "We fight."

Nue fired beams from the tips of her trident. The beams struck 'Geppetto' dead center, but didn't seem to do much. One of the hands made a fist and flew at her. She leapt over it, then had to make a quick dodge to the side as the second hand came from above and tried to smash her. As it hit the platform, Yuugi leapt onto it and began pounding it. Levia, meanwhile, slammed herself into the face, to no apparent effect.

The hand Yuugi was on rose into the air. Yuugi tried to slam it back into the ground, but couldn't move it at all. She leapt down to the platform, Levia landing beside her. "Whatever force moves it," Levia said, "seems unaffected by any force we can exert."

"So we can't hit or throw them into things," Yuugi said. "Not going to stop us."

The hands returned to their positions on either side of the face. They extended their index fingers and fired beams from them. They swept the beams across the platform, but the trio simply leapt over them to evade. After a few sweeps, the beams became more targeted. Rather than simply sweep across the platform, one targeted Nue and the other Levia. Both took to the air and easily evaded the attack.

Both fists flew at Nue, who dropped underneath them and down to the platform. The fists halted and retargeted, quickly speeding at Nue again. Nue dodged to the side, and both slammed into the platform. Levia came slamming down onto one of them, and as she pounded it, Yuugi ran in and started punching it.

The fists rose back into the air, and Levia jumped down to the platform. "This 'Geppetto' machine is sturdy."

"No shit," Yuugi said. "What the hell is this thing made of? Whatever it is is far tougher than that door."

"We'll take some once we beat it," Nue said. "Maybe that missing mythril is part of it or something. But let's worry about the fight first."

The hands again returned to their positions beside the face and repeated the beam attack. The sweeping beams were again easily evaded, and the lasers then targeted Nue and Yuugi. Nue formed two green UFOs. One flew into the path of each beam, and they met the attack with their own beams.

The beam attack ceased, and the hands moved in again. This time, they both came slamming down from above, one targeting Yuugi and the other Levia. Both evaded and attacked the hands. Nue formed a few more green UFOs, all of which fired beams at the same spot on the hand Yuugi was attacking, and Nue fired another from her trident.

When the hands returned to the face again, they once more fired the sweeping beams. "Kind of predictable, isn't it?" Yuugi said. She flew over to the left hand, the one she'd previously been hitting, landed on it, and resumed hitting it. "Nue! Levia!"

Nue set two UFOs to counter the targeted beams, and focused the remainder on the hand. Levia sent a column of water slamming into the same spot Nue's beams were hitting. Yuugi, meanwhile, just kept pounding on it.

The left hand began acting much as the smaller robots had before exploding. "Off of there, Yuugi!" Nue said.

Yuugi leapt onto the platform, and just as she landed, the hand exploded. Then the right hand exploded. "Wait, why did that one explode?"

"No idea," Nue said. "Okay, the hands may be down, but this thing probably has more than just laser-firing hands to attack with."

The head lowered itself below the level of the platform, and as it did, hatches opened in the platform, dispensing quite a few of the basic robots. "It's calling for backup," Yuugi said. "Like these things are gonna help against us."

"I've got them," Nue said. She sweapt her own beam and those of her UFOs across the platform, clearing out the weak robots in a matter of seconds.

More robots emerged, and along with them came a total of eight turrets. Nue unformed her green UFOs and replaced them with rainbow ones, which began firing dense sprays of shots, effectively clearing out everything the turrets were firing. While they did so, Nue herself took out the robots. Yuugi and Levia, meanwhile, were quite literally tearing the turrets apart.

Clearing out the reinforcements didn't take long. The robots were soon destroyed, as were the turrets, which, like the previous ones, left bombs behind.

Geppetto rose up again. "Main target's back," Yuugi said. "Let's take it out."

The head opened its mouth, revealing a cannon that immediately fired a large laser. Nue countered it with a beam of her own, but doing so was much harder. "This is a stronger attack than what the hands could do. I'll handle the beam; you two beat the shit out of this thing!"

Yuugi and Levia both slammed into the head at full speed and started hitting it, but to little apparent effect. "Damn, this is some tough stuff," Yuugi said. "It's gotta be the mythril. I don't think I'm getting through it anytime soon."

"Then we alter our approach," Levia said. She flew up and focused her attack on the left eye. As she did, the laser stopped, and the mouth immediately closed.

Levia hit the eye a few times, but then an explosion sent her flying backwards. Multiple missiles were being fired from both eyes. Levia and Nue immediately took evasive action, but Yuugi just waited. A few of the missiles did indeed target her, and she aited until the last second to dodge to the side, causing them to impact Geppetto. They didn't seem to do much damage, though. "Damn, I thought that would work."

"Hitting the eye also had little effect," Levia said.

"Then we strike inside the mouth when it opens," Nue said.

"The laser began firing immediately. It will act as a counter to our attacks, and also prevent us from attacking physically."

"Then we overwhelm the beam."

Yuugi dropped down to the platform. "I just had an idea. Nue, get down here and counter its beam. I'll handle the rest."

Geppetto opened its mouth, again firing the beam almost immediately. As before, Nue countered it. Yuugi, instead of striking the face directly, picked up one of the bombs and threw it at the open mouth from an angle. As soon as the bomb hit the mouth, it came into contact with the laser, which did what the impact might well have done anyways: it cause the bomb to explode.

The face actually wobbled for a moment before resuming its steady position. "That did something," Nue said. "Nice one."

"I don't know why these bombs are here, but there's no reason not to use 'em."

Geppetto fired missiles again, which the trio were able to evade without much difficulty. Then it opened its mouth again and fired the laser. Nue countered the beam again while Yuugi grabbed another bomb and repeated her previous attack. And once again, it worked. "I think we've got a plan here."

The cycle of avoiding the missiles and bombing the mouth repeated a few more times, until the head finally stopped moving. Parts of it exploded, the pieces falling all over the platform, and it fell down the shaft and out of sight.

[end BGM]

"That was interesting," Nue said. "Right, let's go check the last room. Then we'll gather up all these pieces from that thing and get out of here."

The bridge was still retracted, but that wasn't an issue for people who could fly. The door didn't open when Nue pushed the button, but Yuugi and Levia simply pushed it up into the ceiling, and the three of them entered the room beyond. A room that did indeed have another occupant, sitting on the floor on the other side of the room. "Mitori," Nue said.

Mitori got to her feet. "Nue. And… two people I haven't seen before. You look to be an oni, but you…" She looked carefully at Levia. "Some sort of serpent youkai, I would guess. Certainly aquatic."

"You are correct," Levia said. "I am Levia, and the oni is Yuugi."

"I see. Well, I'd ask what you're doing here, but given how long I've been gone, I'm pretty sure you're here because Nitori sent you to look for me."

"Pretty much," Nue said. "We're looking for material for some gauntlets for Yuugi while we're in here, though."

"Then you may be in luck. I heard you fighting that Geppetto thing, and judging by the debris on the platform, I'd guess you beat it."

"We did," Yuugi said.

"That thing had mythril plating. I don't think there's anything better than mythril."

"Nitori thought so, too," Nue said. "She didn't think we'd find any, though. Said that some was used for the 'hub of the security system', but that nobody could find it."

"It was used for Geppetto, it would seem."

"What happened?" Yuugi said. "Why were you in here?"

"That thing attacked me when I got down here. I tried to fight it, but it was winning. Fortunately, I'd thought to forbid the doors from closing when I entered the chamber."

"The one we used had an opening in it," Nue said, "but the door was closed.

"Really? This room's door stayed open. Guess I didn't notice the other door mostly close. I was a little occupied by Geppetto's attack. I could tell I was losing the fight, so I fled through the nearest door, which led into here. I closed the door behind me, and fortunately, Geppetto didn't try to get in. I'd hoped to find myself in the elevator room, but unfortunately, I chose the wrong door. Since Geppetto wasn't trying to attack me while I was in here, I decided to rest before making a run back through Geppetto's chamber."

"Well," Yuugi said, "we took that thing out for you."

"Which does make things easier," Mitori said. "With it gone, I think I'm rested enough to make it out. Especially since I'll be with the three of you."

"Then let's get moving," Nue said. "We'll gather up the debris from Geppetto, then let's get out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, got chapter 6 up here, and we learned a few things about Utsuho. And the Yatagarasu. I haven't seen anything about how it died, so I gave it a little backstory. Then we learned just why Utsuho is as powerful as she is. That's going to come up again, I'm sure. And we saw a little more of Keine and Tenshi, too.
> 
> Also Nue's group fought a giant robot head.
> 
> Now, normally this is where I'd say reviews are appreciated, but, well, nobody here's left any comments yet, which is kind of dismotivating. Yeah, I can look at the number of times the chapter's been read, but, well, there's a bit of a difference between that and actually seeing people say what they think about the story. So please, take a minute or two to tell me (and anyone else whose stories you read) what you think.


	7. Chapter 7: Destinations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nue's group returns to the village to plan their next move. At the same time, Mokou, followed by Kaguya, seeks help from a forest resident who's no longer what she used to be.

**Chapter 7  
** _Destinations_

Nitori didn't even wait for Nue and the others to return to either the workshop or the house. She came outside as soon as the group exited the elevator, presumably having heard it. "Mitori!"

Mitori stepped forward from the others and allowed her sister to embrace her. "Hi."

Nitori pulled away after a few seconds. "You had me worried, sis. What happened down there?"

"Went the wrong way running from a surprisingly nasty robot."

"Nasty robot? I thought there weren't any really tough ones left!"

"Surprised me, too," Mitori said. "I thought I'd head deep in, see if I could find some of that missing mythril. Wasn't expecting a giant robot head."

"A giant- what? That doesn't make any sense. Why would it be a giant head? Wait, why am I thinking about that?" Nitori embraced her sister again. "I'm glad you're okay."

Mitori waited until Nitori pulled away again. "Well, I don't know why there was a giant robot head, but I did find what I was looking for. The thing was using the mythril as plating. It fell down the shaft when those three," she indicated Nue, Yuugi, and Levia, "destroyed it, but we still got a fair amount of scrap. Should be some usable mythril in there."

"Wait," Nitori said, "you got- you have- bring it into the shop! Now!" She grabbed Yuugi, who held the most scrap, and pulled her along towards the workshop. "Come on come on come on!"

Mitori chuckled. "I thought she'd do that. Well, come on, let's get the rest of the scrap inside."

* * *

Mokou engulfed the Shade in fire, then cut through its middle with her sword. Then Kaguya struck, slicing through it vertically. Then Mokou slashed it through the neck, which was the final strike.

"Well, then." Kaguya said as she Shade's body faded. "That one was a lot tougher than the others."

"It happens sometimes," Mokou said. "Every now and then, a Shade shows up that's a lot tougher than the others. Usually, they don't fight any differently; they just take a lot more damage to kill. And no, nobody knows why that happens."

"I've realized how little is known about the Shades," Kaguya said. "I wasn't going to ask about that. I'm just going to ask what I was about to before you saw those Shades and attacked."

"And that is?"

"Why are we here? This area of the bamboo forest doesn't have anything of note. Or it didn't five hundred years ago, at least. But you seemed to know exactly where you were going. So why are we here?"

"You're here because you won't just leave me alone. I'm here to speak to Lady Nightbug."

"'Lady Nightbug'? Wait, you mean Wriggle? That firefly youkai?" Mokou nodded. "Since when is she 'Lady' Nightbug?"

"She's changed over the past five hundred years," Mokou said. "Apparently, her lineage is one of considerable power. She's only come into that power since the Radiance."

"What sort of power?"

"I don't know," Mokou said. "I just know she has a lot of it. That, and that her ability to command insects has… altered. She's more… aware of them, now. And aware of what they're aware of. It's like she sees and hears through all of them at once, or something."

"Ah, I understand. You want her help finding Utsuho."

"Yes. This location is where you come to if you want to speak with her. She's designated it as her official meeting area. She sees your arrival no matter where she is, so she knows we're here. She'll be here as soon as she can."

"Why'd she let Shades show up here, then?"

"I would assume she's dealing with other Shades. It's getting late enough that she'll be awake and active. She tries to keep the forest clear of Shades, but even she can only be in one place at a time, regardless of how widely she can see and hear. With Shade activity on the rise, she can't clear them all out quite as quickly. It's not surprising that we'd run into a small group or two. Although I am surprised a group as large as the one we fought the other night managed to gather."

"Right," Kaguya said. "So more waiting, then?"

"For me, yes. You can feel free to leave at any time."

"We've been over this, Mokou. This is my fight, too."

"Then go fight it yourself."

"You don't think you can win on your own, do you?"

"Kanako said-"

"You know as well as I do that she assumed we'd be fighting her together. I don't care how well we fight; neither of us can take her alone."

"Then I'll find someone else to help me," Mokou said. "You can just leave. Just go."

"Not happening. Even if I didn't think we needed to do this together, I still need some way to find Utsuho."

Mokou sighed. _Why the hell can't she just leave me alone?_

* * *

"Most of this is other metals," Nitori said. "Good ones, yes, but not as good as mythril. There is some mythril here, but only a very small amount. Enough for your gauntlets, Yuugi, but not enough for anything else."

"We gathered what we could," Nue said. "We would have brought more up if we could have."

"Oh, no, don't worry about that! The other stuff is good, too. I can get plenty of materials from all this. Yuugi, come here. I need a mold of your hands for the gauntlets. Need to make sure I get all the sizes right."

As Yuugi went over to Nitori, who immediately went to work, the door between the workshop and the house opened, and Hina came through. "You're back," she said.

"Oh, yeah," Nitori said, not bothering to look up from her work, "Hina's awake."

"Um, hi," Nue said. "Sorry about the whole beating-the-shit-out-of-you thing."

"I suppose I, too, have something to apologize for," Hina said, "so I apologize for being… unnecessarily aggressive. I hardly think it was necessary to react quite that strongly, though."

"I was told as much," Levia said. "Nue said I was overly quick to attack."

"You were. I have recovered, though. And don't worry; I won't seek vengeance or anything like that. It was a disproportionate response, but not an unprovoked one. That said, however, do try to be less aggressive should we meet again, or you may find your fortunes worsening."

"Was that intended as a threat?"

"Yes."

"Okay," Nue said, "let's try not to have another fight."

"If she doesn't attack me," Hina said, "there will not be one. I will be leaving now." She walked over to the door. "Should we meet again, do try to show me the respect due a god." She exited the workshop.

"I think I missed something," Mitori said.

"She got in our way earlier," Yuugi said, "and Levia beat the shit out of her."

"Prematurely," Nue said.

"Okay, got it," Nitori said. "Mold's ready. I'll get started right away."

"How long will it take?" Yuugi said.

"Should be done in two days. If you want to infuse them yourself, stop by at some point tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll see you the next day."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Yuugi said. "Nue, Levia, you two heading back to the village?"

"Yeah," Nue said. "We got the object from that thing in the Aerie," she produced the tablet, "and your gauntlets are being-what the hell?"

"What?"

Nue showed Yuugi the tablet. "There's a third piece in here."

"Huh. We haven't fought any Shades since the Aerie, though, so where'd it come from?"

"Somewhere in the Junk Heap would seem likely, but there weren't any Shades in there."

"Maybe there were some and the robots killed them. Anything like that happen, Nitori?"

"Might have," Nitori said. "A lot could've happened here between our abandoning the place and our eventual return. There could have been Shades at some point."

"That's probably it, then," Yuugi said. "I guess it's a good thing we went in there, then."

"I would have gone in eventually anyways," Nue said, "once I'd run out of more likely places. So we wouldn't have missed it entirely. Still, it is good that we found it." She returned the tablet to the nether. "Anyways, no, I don't think we have any more business here, so yes, let's return to the village."

"Thanks for finding my sister," Nitori said. "See you tomorrow, Yuugi."

"Yep," Yuugi said. She exited the workshop, Nue and Levia just behind her.

* * *

"An unusual sight, the two of you together."

Mokou and Kaguya both got to their feet. "I'd like to get rid of her," Mokou said, "but she insists on following me."

"Yes, I gathered as much."

Kaguya recognized the figure that emerged from the trees. "Wriggle. Or 'Lady Nightbug', as Mokou seems to call you now."

"Yes," Wriggle said.

Wriggle was certainly still recognizable, but there were changes. Wriggle no longer wore the outfit she used to prefer; she now wore a simple yet elegant black dress. Physically, she was… _Less weak-looking,_ Kaguya thought, _I guess I'd say. And far less likely to be called a boy._ "We were little more than passing acquaintances, only having met at all thanks to my fondness for your friend Mystia's cooking, but even so, it's pretty clear you've changed."

"Indeed," Wriggle said. "I have come into my lineage as Queen of the Night."

"What sort of lineage?"

"The first of my line was Nisus," Wriggle said. "Her power and being have passed through her line, and have now become mine."

"I told you she'd changed," Mokou said.

"Indeed I have," Wriggle said. "I apologize for being unable to greet you sooner; as you thought, Mokou, I was dealing with Shades elsewhere in the forest. They've become far more numerous lately."

"I think everyone's noticed that, yeah. They're becoming increasingly problematic. Kanako's been having the same problem as you: too many of them in too many places at once."

"It is a problem. But that's not why you're here. You came to seek my help in locating Utsuho."

"Yes," Mokou said. "I need to find her."

"She is beyond my sight," Wriggle said. "She has returned underground, beyond my domain. My kind do not journey down that far."

"A smaller area to search, though," Kaguya said.

"I'm not going to confront her down there," Mokou said, "not when she'd have the other hell ravens as backup. They may not be all that tough, but I don't think I'll be able to afford any distractions. I'll be waiting until she's up here again."

"Wise, I think," Wriggle said, "but even so, what makes you think you can win? I witnessed your previous battle with her-my eyes are everywhere-and you did very badly."

"That's because I didn't fight skillfully," Mokou said. "If I do fight at my best, things will be different."

"You can't win alone, Mokou," Kaguya said, "no matter how well you fight."

"Kanako seemed to think otherwise."

"You know as well as I do that she meant both of us fighting together. She saw us come to her as a pair, and assumed we'd be fighting as a pair."

"I would agree," Wriggle said. "You'll need assistance to win against Utsuho."

"Not from Kaguya, I won't," Mokou said.

"Then I suppose that is your choice. I will notify you when she returns aboveground. You should work on your battle strategy until then, because you'll need more than yourself to win against her."

* * *

"You're back," Keine said as Nue, Yuugi, and Levia landed in front of her home.

"Yeah," Nue said, "we're back."

"Mamizou told me you were bound for the Aerie, but you were gone for far longer than I would have expected."

"We took a side trip to the Junk Heap," Nue said. "Proved fruitful, too; there was a piece there as well as one in the Aerie. And Nitori's working on a set of gauntlets for Yuugi."

"I see. So that's three pieces, right?"

"Four," Yuugi said. "I have one back at home."

"Halfway there, then," Tenshi said. "Any idea where you're heading next?"

"Not yet," Nue said. "We'll ask Aki and Mamizou in the morning if they have any clues. If nothing else, we'll just follow reports of Shade activity."

"That works, too."

"Are you heading home, then, Nue?" Keine asked. "I think you should."

"Yeah," Nue said. "I'm heading there next. And Levia, since she's staying with us."

"I've got a room at the tavern," Yuugi said.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"No need for you to head back there just yet, is there?" Tenshi said. "Nue's got someone to get home to; you're staying by yourself."

"Oh, I'm not heading back to the room," Yuugi said. "Come on, Levia, you can come with me. Give Nue and Byakuren some quality alone time."

"Where exactly will we be going?" Levia said.

Yuugi ignored her. "Nue, should I meet you at your place again tomorrow?"

"No," Nue said, "and if I'd known you'd be coming, I would have told you not to. I'll want to talk to Mamizou again, so I'll be heading for the tavern tomorrow morning, anyways."

"That works," Yuugi said. "Come on, Levia."

"Where will we be going?" Levia said.

"Yuugi's an oni," Nue said. "She's taking you drinking with her."

"I see. I… I am not sure this is an activity I should participate in."

"Oh, come on," Yuugi said, "relax a little. Or is there something else you'd rather do for fun?"

"I was to exist only to bring the world to an end. Recreation is something I was never to partake in."

"Well, then, that's all the more reason to lighten you up. Come on!" Yuugi took Levia by the arm and led her away.

"…Right," Tenshi said.

"Well," Nue said, "I guess I'll be going, too."

"Let me know where you're going tomorrow before you leave, would you?" Keine said.

"Certainly." Nue turned to leave. "See you tomorrow, then."

* * *

"You're not staying with me tonight, Kaguya," Mokou said. She had returned home after meeting with Wriggle, and Kaguya, of course, had followed her.

"I don't really have anywhere else to go," Kaguya said. "Eientei's not exactly livable right now."

"Then go back to Seafront. Or go to the human village; I'm sure Byakuren will have a place for you."

"And require them to make last-minute accommodations? I'd rather not."

"But you're fine with making me accommodate you."

"I'll just sleep out here. You don't have to do anything."

Mokou sighed. "Fine. But just for tonight. Tomorrow, arrange to stay somewhere else."

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow, Mokou? We're stuck waiting until Utsuho shows herself, so what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"I don't know," Mokou said, "and even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you. You'd just latch onto me like you've been doing."

"Actually, I have my own plans for tomorrow."

"Oh, really? And what would those be?"

"I'm going back into Eientei," Kaguya said. "Eirin has to be in there somewhere, and I mean to find her."

"Oh," Mokou said. "Are you thinking of what you told Shizuha earlier?"

"I would search for Eirin anyways. But yes, I have no doubt that she can find a way to cure Gensokyo's land."

Mokou thought for a moment. _Well, it's better than doing nothing._ And she'd never had a problem with any of the others in Eientei, just with Kaguya. Eirin in particular had been extremely helpful to all of Gensokyo, and her return would be greatly beneficial to everyone. Mokou doubted they'd find her, but it was better than doing nothing. "I'll search, too."

"Oh? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me."

"We won't be together. I'll be taking a different path than you."

"Well, I suppose that'll improve our chances," Kaguya said. "But don't pretend you're not working with me."

"I won't be working with you. We'll simply be doing the same thing. Don't expect me to actually help you."

"Right," Kaguya said. "Mokou, just a piece of advice: whatever has you so conflicted towards me, stop trying to hide from it. Face it and deal with it."

"I don't need your advice."

"I gave it to you anyways." _And I hope you'll take it. For your sake, and also for mine._

* * *

"Hello, Nue," Byakuren said as Nue entered. "How did things go today?"

"Very well, actually," Nue said. "We found one of the objects in the Aerie, and then took a trip to the Junk Heap."

"Ah, that's why you were gone for so long. What business brought you there?"

"I thought I'd see about having Nitori make a set of gauntlets for Yuugi. Of course, we ended up on a rescue mission, as Mitori was stuck inside the Junk Heap."

"It was good of you to help her, then. Although knowing you, I doubt you did it for free."

"Nitori's making the gauntlets without charge."

"I see," Byakuren said. "That was fairly generous of you, then."

Nue sat down next to Byakuren. "I couldn't just leave Mitori in there. If nothing else, you'd never have forgiven me."

"Well, I'm glad you helped, anyways. Where's Levia?"

"Yuugi took her to get drunk," Nue said. "Yuugi said she wanted to give us some time alone. Although I'm sure she also wanted a drinking partner."

"Probably."

"How have you been today, Byakuren?"

"The pain's been there most of the day, but it's mostly subsided for now."

"Small favors, I guess," Nue said. "Hopefully, you won't have to deal with it at all for too much longer."

"Hopefully," Byakuren said, "but please don't push yourself too hard."

"You know I'm not listening to you on that one."

"I know," Byakuren said, "but I'm still going to say it. I don't want you to get hurt on my account, Nue."

"And I don't want you to die. I'm going to do everything I can to prevent that."

"Which I'm grateful for, but even so, I can't help but worry about you."

"Between myself, Yuugi, and Levia, I think we have things under control."

"Just be careful, all right?"

"All right."

"And take some time to relax every now and then."

"That," Nue said, "is something I intend to do right now."

* * *

Levia set down her now-empty glass. "This… liquid is strange."

"Come on," Yuugi said, "surely you've had some sort of alcohol before."

"I was asleep until a few days ago."

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that."

"What is the appeal of this 'alcohol' supposed to be? I understand that is has an appeal, but I am unsure as to what this appeal is."

"It varies," Yuugi said. "Some people like getting drunk, while others like the taste of various alcoholic drinks."

"There are many varieties, then."

"Very many. Some have more alcohol than others, and a lot of them have other stuff in them. Not that I really care about the details. I know what I like, and that's good enough for me."

"It is a pleasure, then. An indulgence."

"Yes," Yuugi said. "You have a problem with that?"

"Why would I? There is nothing inherently sinful about seeking pleasures of the flesh. Many believe such things need be shunned, but they are wrong. Sin occurs only when such pleasures are sought at the expense of the self or of others."

"Is that something from the religion you came from?"

"Even the followers of that religion often take stances against such things," Levia said. "They, too, believe such things to be wrong. They simply happen to be incorrect."

"So you won't be calling me evil or anything. Good to know." Yuugi emptied her glass, then signaled for another.

"There is nothing to hold against you," Levia said. "Although why anyone would want to hinder their senses is beyond me."

"You don't have to understand it," Yuugi said.

"Fortunate, as it is one of a great many things I do not understand. I was never meant to understand the ways of people. My purpose was to bring them to their end. At least, it was supposed to be. But now I find myself without a world to hasten to its end."

"Yeah," Yuugi said, "you are a bit of an odd case, aren't you?"

"I fight the Shades now, but I know this is only a delay. Sooner or later, I will have to face the fact that there is no purpose to my existence."

Yuugi was silent for a moment. "You know, Levia, for most of my life, I didn't have any kind of purpose. But then the Shades destroyed our home, and now I do have a purpose: I kill Shades. I find them wherever they are, and I kill them. That is my purpose now. And you know what? I was happier without a purpose."

"Most of your kind died," Levia said. "Anyone would rather that not have happened."

"It's not just that, though," Yuugi said. "I never felt like I needed a purpose. And now I know I was right to feel that way. I want this to be over, Levia. I want it all to end so that I can go back to not having any sort of purpose. You don't need a purpose in order to live your life."

"I… I do not believe I know how to live without a purpose."

"Well, that's not a problem," Yuugi said. "I can show you."

* * *

"I don't know how the other Celestials can stand eating the same things all the time," Tenshi said.

Tenshi and Keine were inside now, and Keine was preparing dinner. "Most Celestials became that way through 'enlightened living', right? That includes a denial of physical pleasures, which food could partially be considered as. For them, eating is purely for sustenance; they take no pleasure in it. If you take out the pleasure aspect, it makes sense that they'd have repetitive diets. You, however, never denied yourself such things. Normally, you would never have become a Celestial."

"Well, yeah, my 'ascension' was atypical. Doesn't keep them from thinking I should be exactly like the rest of them, though. Well, except Iku, maybe. Not that she's been very happy with me, either, but she does seem to understand better than the rest that I'm just not like them."

"There's a general tendency among people to assume that others are like them," Keine said, "and that's in places that can have vastly different people. In a society like the Celestials have, where everyone there is similar to begin with, it's easy to see how this tendency could be amplified."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Oh, of course," Keine said. "I'm not trying to excuse their attitude. I don't like that attitude, either, but I do understand where it comes from. If you put some effort into understanding them, too, you might get along better with them."

"Not likely. I'm too different from them. No matter how much I 'understand' them, I'll always be the odd one out, someone who, by their standards, shouldn't be there. There's a reason I've always preferred spending time in Gensokyo, you know. Well, multiple reasons. Heaven is pretty boring, after all."

"A lot of people these days would want boring," Keine said. "At least boring isn't dangerous."

"Yeah, I guess. Never been my thing, though."

"There's nothing wrong with that. Unless you cause trouble again, of course."

"Oh, come on," Tenshi said, "that was over five hundred years ago. I haven't caused any trouble since then."

"Only because the Shades have been around to keep things interesting enough for you."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Well, at least what you're doing now is helpful. Even if there doesn't seem to be any end to the Shades."

"Everything can end," Tenshi said. "The Shades are no exception. We'll find a way to get rid of them. Hell, Nue may be well on her way to doing just that."

"Or eliminating the Black Scrawl, at least, hopefully. Even just that would be welcome."

"Yeah, I guess it'd be better than nothing. But even I'd rather find a way to get rid of that Shades. Yeah, they keep things from getting too boring, but that's not worth the harm they cause. If there's a chance Nue can get rid of the things, I'm going to support her. And if she ever needs help, I'll be glad to give it to her."

"Just try not to get yourself killed," Keine said. "I don't want to lose you."

"Oh, you won't lose me," Tenshi said. "I'll be here for you."

"I appreciate that, Tenshi."

Tenshi came right up beside Keine. "Hey, no problem. I care about you, too, you know. A lot."

"And I care about you," Keine said.

* * *

"Sorry," Mamizou said. "Haven't heard anything new."

As planned, Nue went to the tavern promptly the next morning. Levia had never returned from her night with Yuugi, so Nue assumed she was still with the oni. She'd make sure to get them before leaving.

"Nothing at all?" Nue said.

"Unfortunately."

"Damn. Guess I'll have to hope Ari has something. Right, then. You know which room Yuugi's in?"

"First one at the top of the stairs, I think. Her and that Levia woman." Mamizou led Nue up to the room. "This one."

Nue was about to knock when the door was pulled open, revealing Yuugi on the other side. "Thought it was you. Morning, Nue."

"Hi. Is Levia in there?"

"Yeah," Yuugi said. "Not hung over, don't worry. She went fairly easy. Me, too, at least for an oni. Can't be hung over when we've got Shades to kill."

"If we have Shades to kill. Mamizou doesn't have any leads for us. Ari may have something, but I don't know."

"Well, then just let me rouse Levia," Yuugi said, "and we'll go see her."

* * *

Kaguya let herself drop the few inches to the floor-sleeping in midair was far more comfortable than sleeping on wood-and got to her feet. A quick look around the house confirmed what she'd expected; Mokou had already left. _She_ really _needs to start being honest with herself about me. Right. Well, she's probably at Eientei, and even if she's not, that's where I'm going._

Kaguya found some food fairly easily. _Looks like she still likes chicken. Hmm… well, I guess she makes her own fire, doesn't she? Well, I can use a little fire, myself. Not that I need to cook this or anything. No need for an immortal to worry about disease._ Kaguya immediately tore into the raw meat. _Tastes better like this, anyways._

After finishing her meal, Kaguya cleaned up quickly, then stepped outside. _Time to head for Eientei, then_. She took off towards her old home.

* * *

"You know," Yuugi said as she, Nue, and Levia exited the tavern and began making their way to Ari's house, "if Ari doesn't have any information for us, maybe we should head for Facade."

"Facade?" Nue said. "Why?"

"I was there a couple weeks ago, looking for Shades to kill. Turns out their ruler had just died. From the Black Scrawl."

"Another victim of it," Nue said. "But how does this help us?"

"Their queen was ill. I shouldn't have to tell you that they put every resource they had into finding a cure."

"But they failed."

Yuugi nodded. "True, but if the objects really are the key to curing the Black Scrawl, then their research might have turned up clues to the location of one or more of them."

"I guess it's worth a try. Probably worth checking the area for Shades, anyways. I think that's a good idea."

"What is Facade?" Levia said.

"It's where the kappa live," Nue said. "Their old village was destroyed, and like the tengu, they eventually decided to build a new one. Unlike the tengu, though, they moved a long distance from their old village. The tengu still live on the mountain, but the kappa now live in the middle of the desert."

"Desert."

"Yeah," Yuugi said. "They found a nice, big oasis, and built their new village around it. And they're good at drawing out groundwater, too. It's a fine place for them, I think. They looked like they were doing well two weeks ago, at least. Well, aside from having lost their queen."

"I may not do so well," Levia said. "I am of the water; a desert is no place for me."

"The kappa do fine."

"I am not a kappa."

"Well, I guess," Yuugi said.

"Would you not be able to survive?" Nue said.

"I would survive," Levia said, "but I could not function properly in such a place for long. If the kappa city is built around an oasis, I would be fine there, but unless they were nearby, I would be unable to accompany you in your search for Shades. After more than an hour or two in the desert, I would be too weak."

"That's not good," Yuugi said. "Are you staying here, then?"

"I can accompany you to the city. I will go at least that far with you. And if the Shades are decently close to it, I will be able to accompany you into battle. If not, though, I may have to remain in the city."

"If you've gotta, then you've gotta."

* * *

_Just upside-down right now, it would seem._

Kaguya approached Eientei. _Should be easy to find the entrance if it's just upside-down. Just find where the door looks like it is, drop to the ground, and walk in._

Kaguya did exactly that, and found herself in the main hall. Although as previously, it was different than it should be. _Fewer halls this time instead of too many. Okay, right or left... right._ She made her way over to the right corridor, only to find herself in front of the left one. _Right. Whatever._ She entered the corridor.

* * *

Ari had several books open in front of her when the group entered, and was quickly paging through one. She looked up only briefly as they entered before returning to the book. "Nue, Yuugi. And Levia, I assume. One second; this may be... damn, nothing here." She moved to the next book. "This one next. Chlorination..."

"'Chlorination'?" Nue said.

"Found things in various books. Some things that simply now take on new significance, others that are passages, sections, or even entire books that weren't there before, that I do not remember. I have taken contributions from others, but these are not those. These managed to show up without me knowing at all. Not the first time one of my lives has found previously unknown material, and in fact fairly normal. The one in whose care I place the Chronicle during my absense from life-Keine now, various others before she was born-often adds to it. This new material was no doubt added by Keine-during the period after my life as Akyu, I believe-but I doubt she knew some of the contents of what was added. I don't know who did, or why, but I have found papers." She indicated a small pile off to the side of her desk. "Those papers. They make frequent reference to something called 'White Chlorination Syndrome'. Sounds like the name of a disease, so I've been checking records of illnesses. Nothing so far, unfortunately."

"You're supposed to be looking into the shades and the Black Scrawl. Is this related?"

"There are several factors pointing to this."

"The time matches up, at least," Nue said, "if these are indeed from shortly after Akyu's death."

"True, but not really much of a factor in that conclusion. It is from the contents of the papers that I drew that conclusion. References are made towards black marks on the skin."

"The Black Scrawl."

"Possibly. They're mentioned in conjunction with something called a 'Gestalt'. I have not yet found anything about what a Gestalt is, but one paper does mention it in conjunction with White Chlorination Syndrome. In addition, there are mentions of mindlessly aggressive creatures."

"Shades."

"Perhaps, although they are not called by that name. They are instead referred to as 'Legion'. I believe they are related to the Shades, though. The name difference may simply be because of the fact that if these papers are, as I believe, from shortly before the Radiance, then the term 'Shades' was not in use yet. And the name 'Legion' didn't come into use because these papers, quite clearly, were intended to remain secret. Why they turned up in my records, I do not know."

"You are on the trail of information related to the origin of the Shades," Levia said.

"Yes."

"What about those black objects?" Nue said. "Have you found anything related to them?"

"No, unfortunately. You're hunting Shades for them, though, right? Mamizou may be able to point you towards recent Shade activity."

"We already talked to her," Yuugi said. "She had nothing. We're probably gonna head to Facade. That's far enough away that Mam probably wouldn't know much about it, 'specially since it's not really super-common for any kappa to leave the place. Doubt she's heard much from there. And their queen recently died from the Scrawl, so they were researching it pretty heavily."

"A good plan, then. I, meanwhile, will continue my research. I'll let you know if I find anything."

* * *

Kaguya had been walking forward, so she wasn't really sure how she'd managed to back into Mokou. _More weirdness, I guess._ She turned to face the other immortal. "Hi, Mokou."

Mokou sighed. "Of course I run into you this quickly."

"Well, I did tell you I was coming here."

"And I left first and went in first. I thought we'd stay seperate. Damn place has a sick sense of humor," Mokou muttered.

"I somehow went backwards by going forwards," Kaguya said. "Anything like that happening to you?"

"No, but everything was upside-down for a bit. And sideways. And randomly rotating. And the other stuff this place tends to do." Mokou walked over to a nearby door and opened it. "There is one good thing about it, though. Since everything keeps changing, you can't follow me very well." She passed through the door, closing it behind herself.

Kaguya went over to the door and opened it, but there was no opening behind it, only a wall. _Well, we'll cover more ground like this anyways._ She continued down the hall, actually going forward this time. _Let's see if there's anything over this way._

* * *

"So you're off to Facade, then?" Byakuren said.

"Not just yet," Nue said. "Yuugi's headed to Nitori's to do the infusion for her new gauntlets. The current plan is to head out once she's back, but given how far away Facade is, that may put us back here pretty late. Late enough that we'd be tempted to spend the night in Facade."

"Feel free to do so."

"I'm not sure I want to leave you alone for too long," Nue said.

"I will hardly be alone. You know as well as I do that almost anyone in the village will be willing to aid me if I need it."

"Yeah, but I still don't like leaving you. Hell, I'd stay in the village all the time if I could, but that won't help save you from the Black Scrawl."

"I don't like it when you leave, either," Byakuren said, "but I know why you're doing this. And even now, you're not only thinking about me. If you were, you wouldn't have gone looking for Mitori. Yes, you found one of the objects there, but you didn't think you would."

"I couldn't just leave her. As I said before, you'd never have forgiven me."

"I don't think that was the only reason you did it."

"Probably not. Spending time with you has had its effect on me, after all."

"Anyways, you don't need to worry about spending the night elsewhere. All I ask is that if you do find Shades there, please be careful. As I said last night, I don't want you getting hurt for my sake."

"I know," Nue said. "I'll be as careful as I can."

* * *

_Okay,_ Kaguya thought, _once again I find myself thinking: this is weird._

Kaguya was in what would have been a featureless corridor, except that the walls were... strange. Kaguya wasn't at all sure how to describe the way they looked. And they were sort of pulsing. Not all at once; the pulses seemed to travel down the corridor at fairly frequent intervals.

Also, Kaguya wasn't actually on the visible floor; she was standing on some surface she couldn't see, about a foot above the visible floor.

Kaguya walked forward for a time, and then without warning, she walked straight into a wall that hadn't been there before. She took a step back and looked around. The corridor behind her was normal, nothing like the strange, pulsing one she'd been walking through. The corridor simply turned a corner, and Kaguya had walked into the wall where it turned off to the side. Also, she was walking on the floor again.

_Right,_ Kaguya thought. _Moving on._ She turned the corner and continued down the corridor.

* * *

Nue and Byakuren stood and turned as someone flung the door open. "Mamizou," Nue said. "What's going on?"

"Shades are approaching the village!"

"Which way are they coming from?"

"South."

"I'm going," Nue said. "Byakuren, stay in the village. Be ready in case more come. You up for it?"

"I am," Byakuren said.

"Then let's get moving."

* * *

Nitori looked up from her work as Yuugi entered the workshop. "Hey, Yuugi. Here for the infusion?"

"Yep," Yuugi said. "You ready for it?"

"Yeah. There's actually a pretty wide range of the forging process infusion can be done during. The more important parts are timing, duration, and that work on the weapon continues throughout said duration."

"Just tell me what to do."

"Come over here." Yuugi did so. "Have you formed familiars before?"

"Yeah," Yuugi said. "Not my preferred style, but I've used 'em. Just for danmaku, though."

"The process for forming them is the same," Nitori said. "What matters is that you've done it before. Familiars are formed by sending energy from yourself into a single point. You'll be doing the same thing here. Not to the same extent, though. With familiars, the energy is forced into a coherent form, usually a simple spherical shape. Forcing the form requires additional energy, but without that form, the energy would simply dissipate as soon as you released your focus. Here, this is not a concern, as the energy is going into an object, which already has a form. The level of energy used for a familiar would, in fact, harm the weapon. The amount of energy used in the infusion is important, as is the timing."

"Just tell me what I need to do."

Nitori showed her the in-progress gauntlets. "We'll be alternating between the two gauntlets. When I tell you to start, gather your power, your energy, and send it into the gauntlet I'm currently working on as you would send it into a single point to form a familiar. When I tell you to stop, stop. We will repeat this several times with each gauntlet. I'll let you know when we're done. Are you ready to begin?"

"Whenever you are," Yuugi said.

"Then let's begin."

* * *

Levia was already engaged with the Shades. "Have care," she said as Nue landed beside her. "These ones are a new type."

There were several known varieties of Shades. Fairy-types and human-types were the most common, while tengu-types, the shot-happy magician-types and the large and strong oni-types were less common. But as Nue looked over this group of Shades, she saw that Levia was right. There were human-types among them, but there was also a new kind. They looked much like human-types, although more lithe. The most striking difference was something completely new. It looked like some piece of clothing, although it was clearly part of the Shades and not something being worn. It had the appearance of being wrapped around the arms, looping around behind the head, but it seemed to come apart from either arm freely-although never from both at once, Nue noted.

One of the new Shades swung its… thing at Nue like a blade. She caught it in her trident and gave the Shade a laser to the face. _It's a weapon, then. It's what this type is armed with._ And like all Shade 'weapons', it seemed to be a part of the Shade, rather than an actual weapon it was wielding.

The human-types were as simple as always, but the new types were proving more difficult. "These ones are more agile," Levia said.

Nue formed several green UFOs and coordinated their attacks on one Shade such that there was only one way it could evade. Which, of course, brought it right into the path of Nue's thrown trident. "Not going to matter. They're still fairly easy."

"Most are. My current opponent is proving to be a different matter."

"Unusually tough Shades do show up occasionally. You deal with it; I'll handle the others."

Tenshi crashed down on a keystone, crushing several shades. "Starting without me?"

"I guess that means fewer others to handle," Nue said, running her trident through one. "Careful, Tenshi! These are a new type!"

Tenshi cut through one with her sword. "Not a problem!"

Only five were left. Nue repeated her earlier trick, using lasers to force one to dodge into her trident. This one didn't die, though, so Nue kicked it into the ground and impaled it through the head.

Levia lashed at her opponent with her whip, but the Shade struck it to the side with its weapon. Levia charged and punched, but the Shade leapt over her. Nue ran in to impale it, but it ducked under the attack and kicked her.

"Damn," Nue said stepping back. "Usually even the tough ones don't fight this well." She struck but the Shade knocked her trident to the side with its weapon. Levia came in with another punch, only for the Shade to leap over it to the side while lashing out with its own weapon.

Tenshi sent keystones into all three of the Shades facing her, all human-types, knocking them to the ground. Then she thrust her sword into the ground, quickly opening up a fissure underneath them. As they fell in, she slammed it closed, then spun to see the one remaining shade perform a leaping evade of a punch from Levia. And then it lashed out with... _That's-_

Nue fired a beam at the Shade as it landed, but it reacted quickly enough to evade, leaping backwards as it fired a few shots of its own. Levia simply sweapt the shots away with her whip. "This one has skill."

"Yeah," Nue said. "First Shade I've seen that seems to actually know how to fight. I don't think it'll last too long against both of us, though. Let's-"

[BGM=<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFGQDdQ2lYc>]

"Step aside."

Nue and Levia turned to look as Tenshi pushed them to the side. "Tenshi, what are you-" Nue started to say, but then quieted herself.

Tenshi stopped a few feet away from the Shade, her sword drawn. "She desires to fight it alone," Levia said. "Her emotions are… complex. But strong."

"Yeah," Nue said. "Did you see the look on her face? I don't know why, but this just became personal for her."

"So we allow her to fight alone?"

"I'll intervene if she's about to be killed," Nue said, "but aside from that, yes, I intend to let her fight alone."

* * *

Tenshi faced the Shade, sword at the ready. _Focus. Think clearly. Don't let feelings get in the way. Control them. Use them. Lashing out in fury only gets one killed._

The Shade made the first move, lashing out with its weapon. Tenshi met the strike with her sword, allowing the Shade's weapon to wrap around it. She yanked her sword back, pulling the Shade towards her, and gave it a kick to the face. She pulled her sword free and threw it into the Shade's torso, then called it back to her.

The Shade leapt back a ways and began firing rotating streams of shots. Tenshi cut her way through them, approaching the Shade. Nue, meanwhile, formed two green UFOs, positioning them such that their beams formed a barrier to protect herself and Levia from the shots without interfering with the battle.

Tenshi's progress slowed as she drew closer to the Shade, having a denser volume of shots to deal with. So she sent a keystone forward, which plowed through the shots and impacted the Shade, knocking it down. The shots stopped, Tenshi rushed in and attempted a stab through the chest, but the Shade was too quick. It rolled to the side and leapt to its feet. It grabbed Tenshi by the arm and swung her overhead, attempting to slam her into the ground. Tenshi impaled it through the head as she passed over it and drove it to the ground as well, landing on top of it.

The Shade grabbed Tenshi with both hands and threw her away as it did a backwards roll, landing on its feet and spinning around to face Tenshi. Tenshi hit the ground, rolled, and sprung to her fet, quickly charging at the Shade again.

* * *

Keine landed next to Nue and Levia. "Villagers are safe in the schoolhouse," she said. "What's going on here?"

"Only one left," Nue said, "but it's a tough one, and on top of that, it's the only Shade I've seen that fights with any level of skill. Also, there was a new type of Shade. The tough one is one of them, but the others were regular Shades, just a new type. They weren't tough or skilled like this one."

"Why's Tenshi fighting it alone?"

"Because she desires to," Levia said. "I know not why-her emotions are mixed, complicated-but Tenshi considers her battle with this Shade to be personal."

"We'll step in if Tenshi loses," Nue said, "prevent the Shade from killing her, but aside from that, I think we should let her have this one."

"…Fine," Keine said.

* * *

Tenshi again allowed the Shade's weapon to wrap around her sword, and as she'd done before, she pulled the Shade to her, kicking it while pulling her blade free and stabbing the Shade in the face. _May fight skillfully, but at least it doesn't seem to learn._

The Shade fired several shots as it charged. Tenshi countered the shots with some of her own, and the Shade she impaled on her blade. She swung her sword overhead, slamming the Shade into the ground behind her. The Shade lashed out with its weapon, wrapping it around Tenshi's leg as it hit the ground and pulling Tenshi off her feet. Tenshi didn't hit the ground, instead reacting quickly enough to remain suspended in the air, in a horizontal position. She pulled her sword free of the Shade and spun around in a kick with the wrapped leg, spinning the Shade around and slamming it into the ground again.

The Shade didn't loosen its grip at all. It fired several shots into Tenshi at point-blank range, knocking Tenshi back, itself getting pulled along with her. Tenshi reacted by pulling her leg in, yanking the Shade closer. She took hold of it and shot up into the air. The Shade quickly released its hold on Tenshi's leg, but was unable to escape her grip as she rose higher. Eventually, she spun around vertically several times and hurled the Shade into the ground, following up by crashing down on top of it on a large keystone. The keystone disappeared just in time to allow Tenshi to see the Shade's body fade. "Die, you piece of shit."

[end BGM]

* * *

"Stop and switch," Nitori said.

Yuugi did so. "How much longer?"

"You're about halfway there. Getting bored?"

"Not really. I've never done this before, after all. No, it's not exactly the most exciting thing ever, but it's not too bad. 'Sides, I thought about taking up smithing myself once, a few hundred years ago. Back before the underground was unsealed. Decided against it, but I still think it's interesting to watch one at work."

"Glad someone appreciates the craft," Nitori said, "instead of just the result. Okay, start."

"Got it."

* * *

"Well," Nue said, "that was interesting."

Tenshi just stood there for a minute, then walked over to the three of them. "Are you all right?" Keine asked.

Tenshi went over to her. "Keine."

"Tenshi. Are you all right?"

"Do I look all right?"

"Not unscathed, but nothing serious for a Celestial. Physically, you're fine. But you don't look 'fine' at all. What's going on, Tenshi?"

Tenshi was silent for a moment. "Keine, I have to go."

"'Go'?"

"I have to go back to heaven."

"You have to… why?"

"That Shade," Tenshi said. "We've had ones like fairies, like humans, tengu, oni, magicians. But this one was different. A new type."

"What type? What was it?"

"It bore characteristics of my kind," Tenshi said. "That Shade was like a Celestial."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asis so often the case, stuff happened. A lot of it more relaxed. Nue and Byakuren, um, spent time together, as did Keine and Tenshi. And it looks like something may be starting to develop between Yuugi and Levia, too. And then, of course, there's Mokou and Kaguya.
> 
> Those of you who read Orphan, my previous fic, probably recognized my depiction of Wriggle. No, that's not meant to imply a connection between the two stories, because there is none. Much like Byakuren's sealing scene, I simply liked that version of Wriggle enough that I decided to use it again.
> 
> It looks like Ari, meanwhile, has found some new clues. Too bad they just raised more questions.
> 
> Also, now there are celestial-type Shades. That can't be a good sign.
> 
> Anyways, next up is Facade. Which is fun.
> 
> And, of course, reviews are encouraged and appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8: Facade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nue's group heads for the kappa city, Façade, in search of clues to the locations of the remaining pieces. Meanwhile, at Eientei, Mokou reaches a decision about her current situation and Kaguya's involvement.

**Chapter 8  
** _Facade_

 

"And… done," Nitori said. "Infusion successful."

"Nice," Yuugi said. "So, these'll be ready tomorrow?"

"Yep! Kind of a shame I only had enough mythril for these, though. I'd have liked to work with more of it. Still got a lot of good stuff, just not quite as good as mythril."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Mitori said. She'd just returned from a brief trip into the Junk Heap, and was in the workshop to deposit what she'd brought back. "There's still more in there, you know."

"You got trapped last time you went down that far, remember? Please don't go down there again."

"Oh, you don't need to worry. There's no giant robot head anymore, you know."

"Yes there is! It'll be rebuilt like every other robot in the place!"

"Not this one," Mitori said. "I have forbidden its reconstruction. It has been tried, of course, so I've had to re-forbid it a few times. That's why I didn't go in very far today; adding that effort on top of everything else yesterday really wore me out. But they seem to have given up now on trying to rebuild it."

"…I still don't want you going that far in," Nitori said.

"Well, if you're so worried, why don't you come in with me?"

"I- wha- huh- what? You know I can't get very far in!"

"You'd be with me," Mitori said, "so you'd do better. Besides, you can make, like, any kind of weapon you can think of. Surely you can come up with something that'd help you out."

"Um… yeah, I guess I could, but…"

"Well, I'll leave you two to your business," Yuugi said. "See you tomorrow, Nitori."

"Oh, yes, of course," Nitori said. "Bye!"

* * *

_Aaaaaaand I'm back outside._ Mokou sighed. _This is a waste of time. Not like I have anything better to do, though._

But that wasn't true, and Mokou knew it. There was something she needed to do, but she didn't want to. Not because of what it was, but because she would need a second person, and the only one who would do was Kaguya.

_This is more important than my lack of comfort,_ Mokou decided eventually. _I need to do this. I'll just have to find Kaguya. Well, the best bet is probably just to wait at the entrance here. The only constant of this place: if you keep going, you'll eventually end up back outside._

Mokou found a place to sit, and waited.

* * *

It was Byakuren who answered the door. "Oh, hello, Yuugi. Back from Nitori's, then. How did it go?"

"Just fine," Yuugi said. "I did what I needed to do, and Nitori should have the gauntlets finished by tomorrow. Where's Nue?"

"She told me she and Levia were going to see Ari. I think Keine's there, too."

"Ari? Did she find something new?"

"There was a Shade attack while you were gone," Byakuren said. "Nue, Levia, and Tenshi took care of them. There was, however, a new type of Shade among them. According to Nue, they resembled Celestials."

"Celestials? Like Tenshi?"

"More like the messenger, Iku. Tenshi prefers her sword, but most celestials use the shawls of their outfits as their weapons, and Nue tells me these shades had something like that."

"A new type of Shade," Yuugi said. "All the other types have been around since the Shades first appeared. This is the first time there's been a new type."

"And also the first time there have been giant… things like the one Nue says you fought at the Aerie yesterday."

"New Shade types, Shades being more numerous, Shades being more aggressive, and all of this happening around the same time as Nue and I finding this tablet that's connected to the Shades and may at the very least be able to cure the Black Scrawl."

"And Mira says the border's started changing within that same time frame."

"Really?"

"Yes," Byakuren said. "Nazrin is currently searching for Ran Yakumo, whom Mira hopes can shed some light on just what it is that's happening to the border."

"And this started around the same time as the increased Shade activity?"

"Yes."

"Okay, there's no way all this is a coincidence."

"That does seem unlikely."

"So Nue was hoping Ari could help figure out why we've got a new type of Shade?"

"I believe so, yes. It's certainly worth informing her of."

"I'll head over there, then," Yuugi said. "See ya."

* * *

"And the first case of a celestial with the Black Scrawl was a few years ago?" Ari said. "Do you have a more specific number?"

"No," Keine said. "Tenshi probably does, but she went back to heaven to tell them what happened. Is that important?"

"It might be. Not enough information to be sure, but I now see the possibility that the Black Scrawl is related to the very existence of the Shades. A celestial gets it, and then a few years later there are celestial-type Shades. Could be a coincidence, could be something more."

"Wait," Nue said, "are you saying the Black Scrawl might be involved in the creation of Shades?"

"It is a possibility. The Black Scrawl, then the Shades."

"The Shades appeared during the Radiance," Keine said. "There weren't any cases of the Black Scrawl before that."

"No known cases of the Black Scrawl," Ari said, "no. I have, however, found a mention of White Chlorination Syndrome with an associated date, four years and ninety-three days before the Radiance, which falls within the range of 'a few years'."

"That would seem a quite minor thing to base such a conclusion on," Levia said.

"Not a conclusion. A possibility."

"What is 'White Chlorination Syndrome'?" Keine said. "That's not the same thing as the Black Scrawl, is it?"

"Unknown. It's likely connected to the Shades, but I've found no real information on it."

"You were talking like you thought the two diseases were the same."

"A possibility," Ari said. "One of far too many. The Black Scrawl forms the Shades. The Shades cause the Black Scrawl. White Chlorination Syndrome caused the Black Scrawl caused the Shades. White Chlorination Syndrome caused the Shades cause the Black Scrawl. All three are completely unrelated. The two diseases are the same. White Chlorination Syndrome doesn't actually exist. The Shades _are_ the Black Scrawl. The shades are White Chlorination Syndrome. The Shades are both. And many others. Far too many possibilities at the moment. I need more information if I'm to narrow it down."

"I… see," Nue said. "Right, well, let me know if you learn anything new."

"I will. For now, please leave me to my work."

"We'll do so, then," Keine said.

* * *

Yuugi arrived at Ari's house just as Nue, Levia, and Keine left. "Hey!"

"Yuugi," Nue said. "Good timing."

"Byakuren tells me there was some fun while I was gone."

"New type of Shade."

"Yeah, so I heard. And Tenshi went back to heaven?"

"Yes," Keine said. "She thought her people needed to know of this. And I agree, as much as I didn't want her to leave. There's no telling when she'll manage to get away again."

"Right. Nue, we ready to head for Façade?"

Nue nodded. "We were just waiting on you."

"Well, then, let's go."

"Hold on." Nue turned to Keine. "Yuugi, Levia, and I are going to Façade, and we may not be back until tomorrow. When we made that plan, we thought Tenshi would still be here to help protect the village. Are you okay with the three of us leaving its safety solely to you and Mamizou?"

"Are you volunteering to stay?"

"No way," Nue said. "There's a chance this might help Byakuren, so I'm doing it. And Yuugi, you should probably come, too. You've been there before, whereas I haven't. What about you, Levia?"

"I… suppose there is little for me to gain by accompanying you," Levia said. "Unless they are fairly near the oasis, I will be unable to aid you against any Shades you hunt. And yet…"

"You want to come with us."

"I do, though I do not understand why. I can sense the emotions of others, but most of them I am unaccustomed to feeling in myself. I do not understand why I desire to accompany you, but I do know that I have that desire."

"Then go," Keine said. "I'm more than capable of handling Shades myself."

"Not on our level, though," Yuugi said, "are you?"

"Before the Radiance that was true, but I am much stronger now than I was then. I've had to be, as the world is far more dangerous now. And Tenshi has trained me in the use of a sword, as well. I can fight just fine. Besides, Byakuren's well enough right now that I can call on her aid if necessary, and Mamizou can lend what aid she can as well."

"And I can stick around for a bit."

All four of them turned to face the speaker. "Mira," Keine said. "I wasn't expecting you just two days after your last visit. You normally don't come here quite so often."

"I came to see Byakuren," Mira said, "see if Nazrin's had any luck yet in finding Ran."

"She hasn't," Nue said.

"Yeah, Byakuren told me that, too. But then I had the idea of going through the Gensokyo Chronicles, seeing if I could find anything in there that might help me figure out just what's happening to the border. If there's trouble while I'm here, I'll lend a hand."

"We may be gone overnight."

"Yeah, I won't be here that long."

"We'll be fine," Keine said. "It's been just me, Mamizou, and Byakuren before, you know."

"Yeah, but not overnight."

"We'll be fine," Keine said. "Don't worry, Nue. You do what you need to do."

"All right. Thanks, Keine."

* * *

Mokou got to her feet as Kaguya emerged from Eientei. "There you are."

"Oh?" Kaguya said. "Were you actually waiting for me?"

"Yes, and shut up. This is important."

"Oh?"

"I…" Mokou paused. "Okay, I really don't like this, but… I need your help."

"To fight-"

"No. That I will do alone. But… well, I'm going to need to fight at my best, something that I've only ever done against you. And when I've done so, I've always fought to kill. But I don't want to kill Utsuho."

"I see," Kaguya said. "You want to learn to fight at your best without killing your opponent. So you need a skilled opponent, and because you'll no doubt land a few killing blows, especially at first, it pretty much has to be me."

"…Yes."

_She's actually come to me for help with something. Maybe she's making progress after all._ "I'll want to spend some time each day here. I'm not giving up on finding Eirin."

"Fair enough."

"Also, it'll be more convenient if I stay with you rather than move to Seafront or the human village."

"I knew you were going to say that." Mokou sighed. "Fine, as long as you're willing to keep sleeping on the floor. Or slightly above it, as the case may be."

"Actually, I think I'll just grab a bed from Eientei the next time I end up in a bedroom."

"…That works too. I don't really care, as long as you stay the hell out of my bedroom."

"Deal. I'm heading back into Eientei. Going to look for Eirin a bit longer, then we can start your practice sessions."

"Very well," Mokou said. "I'll head back in, too, then. Not together with you, of course."

"We're more likely to find something if we split up, anyways," Kaguya said. "Let's get looking."

* * *

_When the kappa moved their village, they chose a location far away from the old one. They actually live in the desert now. A race of aquatic youkai living in the desert may seem a little strange, but they seem to like it there. They found an oasis and built their village there._

_Unlike the tengu, the kappa are quite accepting of visitors. The tengu were never the most welcoming of people, but they were not hostile to outsiders the way they are now. The kappa, on the other hand, are still fairly friendly to outsiders. They don't get many visitors, though. Very few people travel between villages these days, and Façade's distance means they get even fewer. Byakuren and I have never actually been to Façade-we're generally kept fairly busy around the human village, and rarely venture far from it-but I expect the kappa to be quite welcoming. Unlike at the Aerie, we should have no trouble finding information in Façade._

* * *

The trio landed in front of Façade's main gate. "That was unpleasant," Levia said, "but already I can sense the waters here."

"It's a lot nicer than the open desert," Yuugi said, "that's for sure."

As they approached the gate, the two kappa flanking it stood up straight. "Visitors!" one of them called out. "Open the gate!"

The massive stone gate slowly swung open, and Yuugi led the way through, the gate closing behind them. "This," Levia said, looking around, "seems to be an unusual place."

[BGM=<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-_-XLUCzyc>]

The stone gate through which they'd passed was part of an outer wall that enclosed the entire village. Against the wall was a series of connected structures broken only by the entrance and the large building, clearly a palace, located across from the entrance. The 'ground' extended generally for a few meters in front of the structures, but it was quite irregular in that, as well as elevation and even shape. It was, in fact, not ground at all, but the top of another set of structures. This lower layer was much the same as the top one, but as it was set within the first one, it had a smaller perimeter. Part of that layer was a waterway that went all the way around.

Within that second layer was a third layer, and inside that one a fourth. The fourth layer was divided into quadrants by small channels through which water flowed, though they were bridged. Below this lay a fifth layer that was even more clearly divided into quadrants.

The space encircled by this lowest layer was filled with water, which the channels from the layer above poured into. There was a walkway about halfway between the city layer and the object in the center, and another immediately around the object. Said object was a few meters square, and rose up out of the water to about the level of the second layer. Bridges stretched from that layer to the top of the object, where a small, one-room structure stood.

The various layers of the city were connected by stairs, but these stairs were placed as though completely at random. Coupled with the irregularity of the layers, the result was a confusing maze of ups and downs, but even so, the numerous kappa moving through the city were all navigating on foot; not a one of them flew even the shortest distance.

"Well," Nue said, "this is… interesting."

"Yeah, it's fairly confusing," Yuugi said.

"Do they dislike flying in the village?"

"Maybe. Didn't ask last time I was here, but I did stick to the ground myself, just in case. I didn't go far beyond the entrance, anyways, and I didn't stay for very long, either. Just long enough for several people to tell me there'd been no Shade sightings recently. I heard about their queen's death from the Black Scrawl, but that was recent enough you couldn't go five seconds without overhearing someone saying something about it. There was also a lot about rules, but I didn't pay much attention. Doesn't matter to me what rules the people here live by."

A nearby kappa approached them. "Visitors! In accordance with Rule #156, I welcome you to Façade! What business brings you to our city?"

"I'm looking for a way to cure the Black Scrawl," Nue said. "Yuugi here told me of your efforts in that regard, and suggested that we pool our information with that of your researchers."

"I see," the kappa said. "Well, um, I'm pretty sure we never learned anything."

"I have learned a few things. Perhaps I can catch something your researchers didn't."

"Well, I can certainly take you to see them. But first, in accordance with Rule #12,923, please allow me to escort you on a tour of our city."

"I appreciate the offer" Nue said, "but that won't be necessary."

"It is, though. Rule #12,923: All first-time visitors to Façade must be taken on a tour of the city."

"I've actually been here before," Yuugi said, "and nobody made me do anything like that."

"Oh? When were you here?"

"Shortly after your Queen... passed away. And I was only here for a few minutes, so maybe that's part of it, too. Didn't pass beyond right about where we are right now. I was here looking for Shade sightings, but the first couple people I asked said there hadn't been any, and it really didn't seem to be the right time to stick around and ask everyone, so I left right away."

"I see. That's probably why, yes. We were in official mourning, as per Rule #4,444, so official response to your arrival would have been slow, and you simply didn't stay long enough. As per Rule #4,445, I apologize on behalf of all of Façade for the resultant failure to properly greet you. Please allow me to correct for this."

"Well?" Yuugi looked over to Nue. "What do you think?"

"Let's go along with it," Nue said. "We don't really know our way around, so taking a tour could be useful. Besides, they might not appreciate a refusal. I may not like spending time on something like this, but it's probably best not to upset the people we're here to get information from."

"I desire to see more of this place, myself," Levia said. "It is… unusual, and the people here feel… different than those in the human village and Seafront."

"All right, then," Yuugi said. She turned back to the kappa. "We'll take the tour. I'm Yuugi, by the way, and this is Nue and Levia."

"I'm Fyra," the kappa said. "Now, this way, please."

[pause BGM]

* * *

There was a knock at the door. Ari opened it, then immediately called to her guest. "Mira, it's for you."

As Ari returned to her desk, Mira looked up to see Nazrin, and immediately got to her feet. "Nazrin."

"Hey, Mira," Nazrin said. "Keine said you'd be here. Tried the shrine first, but you weren't there."

"I'm researching the border's condition. I thought I'd see if the Chronicles had any useful information."

Nazrin chuckled. "You just don't have any patience, do you? Well, you needn't have bothered."

"You've found Ran."

"Chen, actually. Ran's shikigami."

"Her shikigami. Good enough. Take me there."

"Probably not the best idea. She's quite a ways away from here. It'd be tomorrow by the time we got there."

"And it would take just as long to get back. Too long a time for me to leave the shrine unattended for. Very well, then. If I can't go to Ran, she can come to me. I need you to go back, Nazrin, and tell Ran to come to the shrine."

"One step ahead of you," Nazrin said. "Ran may not have been there, but apparently the shikigami bond lets her and Chen talk to each other no matter how distant they are. Chen relayed what Ran and I said to each other. I knew you'd want Ran to come to the shrine, so I told her that. She plans to come tomorrow. Probably not going to get there until evening, though, given how far away they are, but Ran does intend to come."

"Excellent," Mira said. "Good work, Nazrin."

"Not a problem. Oh, Ran and Chen may decide to stay at the shrine overnight, rather than make their return trip at night. Just thought I'd let you know."

"I appreciate that," Mira said. "I suppose I'm done here, then, Ari. Thank you for allowing me in."

"You're welcome anytime," Ari said.

* * *

[resume BGM]

Fyra led the trio down a set of stairs to the second layer, stopping in front of an open-faced shop. "This is an item shop."

"Not a phrase you hear often," Nue said. "I think the only time I've heard it was when listening to Sanae talk about her 'video games'. What all is sold here?"

"A variety of things, as detailed in Rule #31,219. Medicinal herbs and such are the most popular items. They also offer a variety of components our magicians find useful. Now, this way, please."

Fyra led them over to a dock by the waterway, to which a wodden raft was tied. "In accordance with Rule #12,923," she said to the kappa standing next to the raft, "I am escorting these visitors on a tour of the city."

"Understood." The kappa turned to face Nue's group. "Please get on the raft."

Fyra boarded the raft first, followed by Nue, Yuugi, and Levia. The other kappa picked up a pole resting next to her and boarded herself. She untied the raft, then took position at its front a ti bagan to move, using the pole as necessary to control its speed and make sure it didn't hit the side of the waterway.

"I sense no ability at work here," Levia said. "What is causing this water to flow?"

"It's kept flowing in a counterclockwise direction," Fyra said, "and at a constant speed. The tower you can see in the middle there is the control unit for all aquatic equipment in the city."

"'Equipment.' You are referring to machinery, correct?"

"Yes, and that tower houses the control unit for all of it; keeping the water in this waterway flowing, pumping water from the pond to those channels to keep it moving and prevent it from becoming stagnant, regulating the irrigation of the gardens, drawing more water from the ground as needed, and many other things."

"I don't see any gardens," Yuugi said.

"They're not outside. Rule #213: all gardens are to be located either in artificial structures or underground. Proper gardens wouldn't do very well outside, so they're kept where the environment can be controlled. Temperature, moisture, soil conditions, all of it. And thanks to work done with the hell raven Utsuho Reiuji long ago, we can produce artificial sunlight, allowing the plants to grow even when cut off from natural sunlight."

"You've been mentioning rules a lot."

"We have many rules," Fyra said. The raft came to a stop at another dock. And Fyra led the trio off the raft and over to a nearby open-faced store, this one having a second area in the back. "This is a smithy. Rule #53,912: all shops must be open-faced towards the middle of the city. Sadly, the kappa's best blacksmith elected to stay behind when our people moved here, but the ones we do have are still quite capable."

"Nitori," Yuug said. "She's actually working on a set of gauntlets for me."

"Then you made an excellent choice. Her prices may be high, but the quality is unparalleled. Follow me, please."

Fyra led them back to the raft, which soon stopped at a third dock. Again, Fyra led the three of them to a nearby store. "This is a produce shop. Food grown in the gardens is sold here."

"Are all the shops on this level of the city?" Nue asked.

"No. Rule #33,451: All residents must live on a level appropriate to their status. There's no rule saying that merchants must operate their shops out of their own homes, but most choose to for convenience. All they need to do is add an open room for the shop. So there are shops on all levels. Sales stalls-such as those used by traveling merchants on the infrequent occasions such individuals come here-on the other hand, are restricted to a marketplace area on the second level near the palace, as per Rule #10,119. Now, follow me, please."

The next stop was yet another store. "This is a strange-thing store," Fyra said. "This store stocks a variety of strange items. They have items from the outside world, though not many, seeing as how nothing's come through since the Radiance. There are also a variety of more unusual creations of our engineers. They also have ancient scrolls and tablets and such, old pottery, that sort of thing. And then a number of things that are harder to categorize. Basically, if you're looking for something and have no idea where to start, start here."

The tour ended at the same place it had begun. "That's that," Fyra said. "Any questions?"

"Just how many rules do you have?" Yuugi asked

"The most recent rule is Rule #132,918."

"Whoa. How the hell do people remember them all?"

"Rule #11,878: Aside from those related to general conduct, individuals are required to know by heart only those rules relating to their professions. We're not required to remember them all, nor are we expected to. Rule #31,400: Individuals are to be informed as necessary of any rules they may not know by heart. And Rule #1,913: All homes must have at least one up-to-date copy of the Official Rule Compendium, updates to which will be distributed as necessary."

"What about visitors?"

"Rule #913: Visitors to Façade are not to be expected to know the rules, and are not to be looked down on because of this. Rule #1,112: Visitors are exempt from following most rules, and those they are expected to follow will be brought to their attention as necessary. You'll be told if there's a rule you need to be aware of, but aside from that, we assume you'll act according to the rules of where you're from. Oh, there's also Rule #3,901: Although visitors are exempt from most rules, no resident of Façade is to violate a rule on a visitor's request or behalf."

"Why do you have so many rules, anyways? Is there any reason for things such as making visitors take a tour or requiring shops to face into the city? Seems a bit restrictive."

"Restrictive?" Fyra said. "No. 'Rules do not exist to bind you; they exist so that you may know your freedoms'. The rules are about what we can do, not what we can't."

"Right," Yuugi said. "Well, to each their own, I guess. If it works for you to have all these rules, then I see no reason you shouldn't."

"We would agree. Any other questions?"

"I don't think so," Nue said.

"All right. You said you're looking for information on the Black Scrawl, right? Let me show you to our research laboratory. This way."

[end BGM]

* * *

Mokou exited her home behind Kaguya. "Couldn't you have taken a smaller bed?"

"Yes," Kaguya said, "but that one's mine. Or an exact replica of it, at least. I wasn't about to pass up that bit of luck. Besides, it doesn't take up that much space."

"I'm throwing it up against the wall if it's ever in my way."

"Fair enough. Now, how are we going to do this?"

"By proceeding a safe distance away from here and then fighting," Mokou said. "We just fight like normal, except that I try to beat you without killing you. You, on the other hand, are to come at me like normal. Utsuho won't be holding back, so I don't want you to, either."

"Makes sense. You have a place in mind?"

"The clearing where you woke up after I brought you back above ground."

"Works for me. Let's go."

* * *

The front room of the research building was completely plain; there wasn't even a desk, just doors to various parts of the facility. Fyra led the trio towards one, but before they reached it, someone opened it and stepped through. "Oh, visitors. That's rare. Um, welcome."

"These three are from outside the city," Fyra said, indicating the trio. "They're looking for a way to cure the Black Scrawl, and heard about our city's efforts in that regard."

The researcher chuckled humorlessly. "You wasted your time, then," she said to Nue's group. "We didn't learn shit."

"We know you haven't succeeded yet," Nue said, "but surely you found _something_."

"Not really. Nothing we've tried did a damn thing. I'm not sure even Yagokoro could cure it. Not that she's been seen since the Radiance, anyways."

"Actually, a medical approach may not be the right way to go," Nue said. She produced the tablet. "Take a look at this."

The researcher took the tablet. "Hmm... a few centuries old, I'd say. I can't read this writing, though. What makes you think this is connected to the- wait." She put her finger on a portion of the writing. "I've seen that group of symbols before." She went quickly over to another door, followed by the others, and opened it. "Laroa, I think you'll want to see this."

The one called Laroa looked up from her desk as the group entered the room. "You have an unusual-looking group with you, Nakari."

"Yes, and one of them had this." Nakari handed Laroa the tablet. "I can't read the writing, but this part here caught my eye."

"'Black disease.' Interesting."

"Laroa is a linguistic scholar," Nakari explained to the others, "who specializes in older writing scripts."

"She wasn't part of the Black Scrawl project," Yuugi said, "was she?"

"Not at first, not with us-though there were people pouring over every single record we have of anything at all-but we kind of stumbled onto a need for someone with her expertise. It was Princess Sechs who noticed it, actually."

"Noticed what?" Nue asked.

"The markings that give the Black Scrawl its name," Laroa said, "are very similar to a script used by the oni many tens of thousands of years ago."

"Really?" Yuugi said. "I've seen the Scrawl markings, and they don't look like any writing I've ever seen."

"They probably wouldn't. When I say this script is old, I mean it."

"I've been around for quite a while," Yuugi said. "Since well before the oni moved underground."

"This script is much older. It was one of your kind's earliest systems of writing. Today, the only ones who know it are those such as myself."

"And the markings of the Scrawl are similar," Nue said. "Do you think they say anything?"

"No," Laroa said. "Not in that script, at least; it's similar-looking, but not the same. It may be a script of some kind, though. I'd love to look into that in greater depth, but we don't have a large enough sample size of Scrawl markings. They may say something, but I'd need a lot more data to work with before I can say for sure."

"What about the similar-looking script? Where did you see that?"

"There's a place out in the desert we call the Barren Temple. The script is all over in there. It's one of two in there, actually, both of which are oni scripts. One's old, dating back to when we believe the place was built, while the other has only been in use for about ten thousand years. And it is in use today." She indicated Yuugi. "You probably know that one."

"Why are they there, though?" Nue asked. "Why would oni scripts be in this 'Barren Temple'?"

"We believe it was built by the oni."

"Wait," Yuugi said, "you don't mean the Temple of Trials, do you?"

"Never heard that name," Nakari said.

"It's a testing ground. In ancient times, one was required to complete the trials within in order to earn the title of Deva. Never been there myself, though; we'd stopped using it by then. But I do know it's more than old enough to have writing in a script nobody uses anymore. I'd guess the newer script was added when the old one began to fall out of common use."

"Most likely," Laroa said. "They do both say the same thing, so I'd arrived at that conclusion myself."

"But wait," Yuugi said, "why were you in there? I doubt that place is connected the the Scrawl."

"We think the Shades are connected to the Scrawl, and the temple is a nest of them."

"An odd reason to think there'd be information there," Nue said. "I'm sure the Shades just like the place because it's an enclosed structure."

"Indeed," Nakari said, "but we were fairly desperate at that point. The medical researchers hadn't learned shit, and the people looking through past records and such found nothing but a few references to a 'black disease'. Many in what I'd assume is the same script as on that tablet of yours-that's how I recognized the symbols."

"One of the scripts," Laroa said, looking at the tablet again. "There are two different scripts here. Do you three need someone to translate them?"

"We already found someone to," Nue said. "We know what's written there."

"It seems to support our belief that the Shades and the Scrawl are connected," Laroa said. "Hmm... should I assume you're looking for the 'black marks' it mentions? You seem to already have three of them."

"And a fourth at my home," Yuugi said. "You're right; we're trying to get all eight of them."

"They're usually held by Shades," Nue said, "so we'll be heading for this 'Barren Temple' of yours."

"Not on your own," Nakari said. "The temple can only be entered in the presence of a royal. It's a rule. That's why Princess Sechs was leading the team that went in there."

"Then we'll need to see her. Or whoever it is we need to talk to about this."

"Yes, that would be her. And if you're trying to cure the Scrawl, I'm sure she would be willing to aid you.

"That's good. What are the rules for getting an audience?"

Before any of the three kappa could answer, another kappa burst into the building. "Emergency notification! Princess Sechs is missing!"

"Then we have to look for her!" Fyra said. "Rule #66,000: If our ruler is gone from the city in an unofficial manner, all available kappa must aid in returning her to the city!"

"We can't. We already know where she is, and it's the Barren Temple."

"The Barren Temple? But-"

"But Rule #101,229 prohibits anyone from entering without royalty present, and Princess Sechs is our city's only royalty."

"But... but what about Rule #66,000?"

"It seems to me," Levia said, "as though the situation resolves itself. If none of you are allowed to enter the Barren Temple, then none of you meet the condition of being available."

"Wait," Fyra said, "you want us to just do nothing? That place is far too dangerous for her to be alone! You think we should just leave her there?"

"Sounds to me like you're not allowed to do anything else," Yuugi said. "'Course, don't think that's going to stop us from going."

"No, you can't!" the messenger kappa said "The rule applies to everyone! You're not allowed to enter unless there's royalty present!"

"I am Yuugi Hoshiguma. I am one of the Four Devas of the Mountain, the leaders of the Oni. Is that good enough?"

"Um... I don't think being a leader is enough unless you're actually royalty, no."

"Actually, it is," Fyra sad. "Rule #23,999: The leaders of other people are to be considered royalty as far as the Rules are concerned. It's long been recognized that other cultures may or may not have royalty, so that rule was made to provide a standard for treating visiting leaders. The leaders of other people deserve the same treatment and respect, regardless of whether or not they're actually royalty."

"Do you actually know every single rule?" Yuugi asked.

"Of course. I'm an official guide, and we're required to know every rule. We're spread throughout the city, available to answer any questions anyone may have regarding the Rules. We're also responsible for welcoming and assisting visitors; that's why I was the one to give you the tour. One of us is stationed by the entrance to the city at all times, and when you arrived, it was my turn at that position."

"How the hell did you learn every single one of over 130,000 rules?"

"With difficulty," Fyra said "There's a reason we're paid as well as we are. Very few people can do this job. I know every single rule, and in most cases I also know the reason why it was made, which is not true for most of us."

"Damn."

"We're also expected to keep up to date with new rules, of course."

"How often are new ones made?"

"Not too often these days. The pace used to be much faster, but as more rules are made, situations that warrant new ones become less and less common."

"We're getting caught up in something that's not relevant," Nue said. "The point is that Yuugi does count as royalty for the sake of any rules, which means being with her is enough to allow entry into the Barren Temple. Where is it?"

Fyra produced a map. "Another thing all guides are required to have is a map of the city and surrounding area," she explained. She indicated a spot on the map. "The Barren Temple is located here. I'd estimate a travel time of around an hour; the sandstorms in that area are constant and fierce enough to prevent most people from flying, so once you get close, you'll be forced to proceed on land."

"And the same amount of time spent on the return trip," Levia said, "in addition to the time spent within the temple. As expected, I will need to remain here; that is far too long for me to spend in such an environment."

"Well, we already expected that," Nue said. "Looks like it's just you and me, Yuugi."

"And many of us," the messenger said. "I'll round up all available kappa to join the party. We should be ready in an hour."

"Yeah, not likely a good idea to wait," Yuugi said. "Nue and I are leaving now."

"Wait, you can't! You have to give us time so we can join the search!"

"Do I, Fyra?"

"No," Fyra said. "As the leader of the expedition, it is your right to decide who accompanies you during it."

"But we have to go!" The messenger said. "All available kappa must aid-"

"As I said previously," Levia said, "if you are prohibited from entering the the location where your ruler is, then you are unavailable to aid in the search. No rules are broken."

"I think she's right," Fyra said. "If Yuugi wants to leave without any kappa, she can."

"We'll return as quickly as we can," Nue said. "Levia, do try not to attack anyone while we're gone."

"My urges are under control," Levia said.

"Good."

"Watch out for the wolves," Fyra said.

"Wolves?"

"They're numerous, and they aren't normal wolves. Their physical capabilities are more like what you'd expect from youkai wolves, but these wolves show no signs of being youkai. We don't know what's up with them. They're aggressive, too, and we've been having trouble with them for quite some time now. They can't fly, so you don't have to worry about them while you're in the air, but they may attack while you're walking through the sandstorms."

"Thanks for the warning," Nue said. "Right, then. Let's go, Yuugi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so we had a bit of plot in this chapter, and then were introduced to Façade. And we have our next destination, too, although NieR players already knew where Nue's group would be going.
> 
> Yeah, I don't really have much to say here, so I'll just say, as usual, that reviews are encouraged and appreciated.


	9. Trials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Mokou and Kaguya begin their training session, Nue and Yuugi enter the Barren Temple, in search of Shades and of the kappa's missing princess, Sechs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I HIGHLY recommend listing to the provided BGM tracks for this chapter. It's always recommended, of course, but the tracks used in this chapter, particularly the second one, deserve an additional recommendation. I strongly encourage you to listen to them.

 

  
**Chapter 9  
** _Trials_

As the sandstorms grew fiercer, Nue and Yuugi were forced to land. "Fyra wasn't kidding," Yuugi said. "This is nasty. We're not getting anywhere in the air."

"I'd assume your people chose this location deliberately," Nue said as the two of them began walking. "You know, a 'getting there is part of the test' sort of thing."

"Maybe," Yuugi said, "but I'm not sure on that. Unlike you might think, the temple actually wasn't a survival test. There was some risk, and yes, there were a few in our history who never returned, and many who came back with injuries, but the deaths were few, and most of the injuries weren't extremely serious. Deva candidates went through plenty of combat tests before earning the privilege to attempt the Trials. If you couldn't handle yourself in a fight, you never got that far. But one can't attain the position of Deva on strength alone. The Trials were designed to test us in other ways."

"Such as?"

"I don't know for sure. The last one to use it was Kisata, my predecessor as Deva, so I've never been, and the ones who had didn't say much about what they found. Part of the test is not knowing what you'll be faced with, after all. Of course, there's only so much good being told about what's in there will do, as the one thing I do know is that the tests vary. No two people face the same trials. The temple... adjusts them."

"They change each time someone enters."

"It's more than that. The trials you face are based on your performance up until then. The intent of the Trials was to force us to adapt, to ensure that we could handle any situation. If you rely too much on a certain tactic, for instance, subsequent trials will make its use difficult or impossible. A Deva must be able to adapt to the unexpected, to find victory and success no matter what."

"I wonder how they managed that."

"No idea"

"Why did you stop using the temple? It sounds like it did its job well. Unless there was an issue with verification, but I find that unlikely. I'm sure they thought of that when the temple was built."

"They did. It marks you if you pass."

"What is the reason, then?"

"It became redundant. The various trials and tests required to earn the privilege of attempting the Trials eventually grew to encompass everything the Trials test. The rituals and the process had simply evolved to a point where the Temple wasn't necessary."

"And the Temple was easier to cut out than all the process and rituals and such."

"Yes."

"You think it's still active after so long unattended?"

"Of course it is. It was built to withstand everything the strongest of the oni could possibly do to it. No way time can do better."

"Then Sechs has probably had to go through the tests before, having led research teams in here previously. Or does the temple only activate for oni?"

"It should activate for anyone," Yuugi said, "but I doubt Sechs has gone through the Trials before. Large enough groups are not given the trials; it was known that inspections would happen from time to time, so they built that allowance in. If she's only been in with groups, it wouldn't have activated. It's probably testing her now, though."

"I wonder if that's why she went in," Nue said.

"To undergo the Trials?"

"She was recently thrust into the role of her people's leader. She may well feel that she's not ready, although I don't think she'd come here because of that. More likely, she worries that the people of Facade think she isn't ready, and decided to undergo the Trials to prove herself to them."

"Well, I guess it's possible, but even if the Trials don't contain as much combat as one might think, they are still about making sure you can emerge victorious from any battle you find yourself in."

"But not through brute force, right? The Trials force you to adapt, to react to unpredicted circumstances. Probably to think quickly, too. All useful qualities for a leader. And you've said there's less combat, but I assume there is some, correct?"

"Yeah. I don't know what the enemies were in the past, but if there are Shades living in the temple now, it's probably incorporated them into the Trials, so I'd expect them to be the enemies now. It would recognize that they aren't real people, I'm sure, so it certainly wouldn't try to put them through the Trials, even if they entered in small enough groups."

"Then there's real danger involved, which means courage is also tested."

"And I suppose any leader would do well to be capable in battle these days, too. She could think the qualities she'd demonstrate by completing the Trials are exactly what her people want to see in their leader. You may be right, Nue."

"It makes sense," Nue said. "And to be honest, I don't think Sechs is in as much danger as Fyra seemed to."

"Probably true. Hell, she may well succeed. I see no reason not to keep an eye out while we're in there, though."

"Indeed," Nue said.

* * *

As soon as her head was finished regrowing, Mokou got to her feet. "Ow."

"A little hesitant there, Mokou" Kaguya said. "A small enough hesitation that nobody except me probably could've taken advantage of it, but still."

"I'm not used to worrying about whether or now a blow will be lethal. I hesitated because I can't yet make those calls as quickly as I need to be able to. I had to think, 'will this kill her', and the instant it took me to decide that it would not was enough for you to take advantage of. That's why we're doing this, so that I can eliminate such instants by the time Utsuho next shows herself."

"I know," Kaguya said. "And you're doing pretty well. Not pulling your punches nearly as much as I thought you might."

"Utsuho's tough. She can take a lot, and she can recover from a lot. I'm not worried about wounding her; she'll recover. I just need to not kill her."

"It's good you realize that," Kaguya said, "because you'll need to if you want to have a chance."  _And you'll need help, too, but you won't accept it, so I'll just have to show up to the battle on my own._  "Next round?"

"Next round."

* * *

Yuugi took hold of a wolf by the leg, leapt into the air, spun it vertically around her, and slammed it into the ground. Much to her surprise, the wolf got to its feet right away and sprung at her, mouth open. Yuugi let it bite down on her arm, and was again surprised, this time by the force of the bite.  _Nowhere close to my force, though._  She pried its jaw open, then took hold with her second hand and kept pulling. The wolf tried to jerk itself loose, but Yuugi's grip was far too strong, and before long, the wolf's head gave.

Yuugi threw the dead wolf aside and faced the remaining two, which Nue was keeping at bay with a number of her UFOs. The UFOs were firing in a spellcard-style pattern, something not very practical in non-spellcard combat, and the wolves soon found a way through the shots. Both of them lunged at Nue, only to pass right through her. The illusion, as well as the UFOs, vanished as the real Nue appeared directly above the wolves, impaling one with her trident. She carried it high into the air, and as she did, Yuugi moved in and took hold of the one remaining wolf, swinging it back and forth over her head and repeatedly slamming it into the ground much as Levia had done to Hina. Yuugi released the wolf and stepped back just as Nue's wolf was slammed into it from above, killing both.

"That's all of them," Nue said as she landed. "Fyra was right; those were not normal wolves."

"Didn't seem to be youkai, though," Yuugi said, "despite being far stronger than any non-youkai should be."

"Smarter than ordinary wolves, too. They're certainly capable of patter recognition, at least, as they proved themselves capable of figuring out the shot patterns I was using to keep the others away while I focused on one at a time. Of course, I was able to exploit this, but they simply should not have that capability."

"Probably related to the Radiance. Damn thing screwed up just about everything."

"Possibly," Nue said. "Hard to say, really. Not that it matters much to us. Let's go; I don't think the temple is much farther."

Nue was soon proven correct; it was just a few minutes before the two of them could make out, through the sandstorm, what appeared to be the front of an artificial structure built into a shear face of a hill. "That has to be it," Nue said.

Only the entrance to the Barren Temple was visible; the rest was within the hill. There were stylized carvings of oni on either side of the temple's door, and on the door was what was clearly writing, but that was it.

Nue and Yuugi walked up to the door. "Fairly plain-looking," Nue said, "at least on the outside. Can you read the writing, Yuugi?"

"Half of it," Yuugi said, "as we thought."

"Not that it matters if the message is the same in both scripts. What's it say?"

"It says, 'To pass the Trials, you must devote yourself to the rules.' Huh."

"Sounds like something Facade would come up with."

"It does, doesn't it? But this predates Facade by a very long time."

"Yeah. It's just an amusing coincidence. Come on, then. Let's do this."

* * *

When Mokou revived this time, it was to find Kaguya in combat with two large Shades, the same as the big one they'd seen the night Mokou had rescued her. And she was doing well, too, cutting through them like it was nothing.

One of the two had fallen by the time Mokou joined the battle, and Kaguya leapt onto the remaining one's head and thrust her sword in. Mokou leapt up to its face and thrust hers into the thing's neck. Kaguya leapt down, pulling her sword down through the creature's back as Mokou swung around its head, pulling her own sword along with her. Then she copied Kaguya's move, just down the front of the creature instead of the back, and the large Shade fell to the ground and vanished.

"That was an interesting thing to wake up to," Mokou said.

"They showed up right after you went down," Kaguya said.

"Were there any others?"

"No. It was just those two big ones."

"Unusual for just two Shades to show up. Normally they're in groups. Although I guess we don't know what the usual is for those big ones."

"You did mention last time that you'd never seen one like it before."

"Yeah, this is something new. As far as I know, we're the only ones who've seen this kind of- wait, what's that?" Mokou walked over to where the second of the large Shades had fallen and picked up a small, black object. "Strange."

Kaguya walked over and took a look for herself. "Definitely not natural. Do you think that Shade had it?"

"Most likely," Mokou said. "You know, I think we've seen something like this before. You remember that tablet Nue had the Taoists translate for her back in Seafront? This looks like the black thing that was on it."

"Hmm... Yes, I think you're right. Nue's looking for those, isn't she?"

"Yeah. One of us should probably take it to the village and give it to her. After we're done here for the day, of course." Mokou placed the object in the nether. "Okay, let's get back to it."

* * *

[BGM = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoJhn5WZ4kE]

"This," Yuugi said, "is not at all what I expected."

Having entered the Barren Temple, Nue and Yuugi found themselves in a large hall. The hall was divided in half by a chasm several meters wide and about twice as deep, and at the bottom was what looked like a stream of flowing sand. Each wall had several very large doors, each one directly across from one on the other half, and the two halves of the hall were connected by several bridges, one between each facing pair of doors. About halfway between each bridge and the next was a short descent of a few steps.

"There's magic here," Nue said. "Very strong magic. I think this entire structure has been infused."

"Yeah. My sense isn't that good, but I can feel it, too, if only weakly. I guess infusing it makes sense; that's probably what lets the place adapt like it does. But, damn, the entire temple? I've never heard of an infusion on that scale. I didn't even know that was possible."

"It has to've been done in pieces, somehow," Nue said. "Some special infusion method we just don't know about anymore that can be done in stages. And even then, it must have taken a hell of a lot of people to infuse enough energy for the entire temple. I'm surprised it's been completely unknown for so long. One would expect magicians to be all over it, attempting to figure out just how it was made."

"Only the oni would've known it existed at all, and these days, we had no idea it was infused. And before the kappa built Facade, there was pretty much nobody out in the desert. Doesn't surprise me this place went undiscovered by everyone else for so long. And these days, stuff like this is overshadowed by the Shades, so I'm not surprised nobody else knew even after the kappa found it. Sounded like they've had people here, though."

"They do have less to worry about from Shades," Nue said. "They do still have to worry some, but this isn't an environment Shades like. That's probably why they're in the temple; it's the only place in the desert they would prefer. Of course, the kappa have the wolves to deal with instead, but even so, nobody knows how to infuse something of this size anymore. I suppose it's not too surprising the kappa would want to figure out how it was done, even on top of everything they already have to worry about."

"I guess so, yeah. Right, let's get moving."

"Agreed," Nue said. "Okay, we're looking for Shades, but also for Princess Sechs. Let's check every room in here."

"We'll probably have to complete the Trials," Yuugi said.

"Even if Sechs just did them? Well, given how much magic is in this place, I suppose it's not too surprising they can reset that quickly."

"Yeah. We'll have to complete each test to move on."

"Then let's get started."

As they were on the left side upon entering, Nue and Yuugi initially tried the first door on the left, but there was a seal on it that prevented it from opening. "Maybe they haven't reset yet," Yuugi said. "Maybe we won't be able to enter the rooms until they have."

"I don't think that's it," Nue said. "Look; the door across from this one doesn't have a seal. Now, yes, it's possible that one's just finished resetting already, but I think we're supposed to do the rooms in order. My guess is that once we complete the test in that room, the next door will open."

"Either way, that door's not sealed right now, so let's hit that room first."

The two of them crossed the bridge, but before they opened the door, they noticed writing on it. "Both scripts again," Yuugi said. "Let's see... 'Forbidden: Magic-Spewing Bat'. The hell's that mean?"

"It must be a rule for the test," Nue said. "It seems there is to be no use of magic in this one. Not sure what bats have to do with magic, though."

"Odd rule to have here. Oni generally prefer to keep things physical."

"We'll probably see that forbidden later on."

"Yeah, probably. Let's do this." Yuugi opened the door, and she and Nue entered the room. The door immediately closed behind them, a seal forming on it. "I guess we're not leaving until we finish the trial."

The two of them were in a fairly large room, far longer than it was wide. The door they'd entered through was, it seemed, the only way in or out of the room. Across the room from the door was a large, square block with a pink glow around it. Other blocks, ones without the glow but with what appeared to be strange, simplistic circular faces on one side, were positioned on the walls and ceiling, and each was firing a stream of shots from the side with the 'face'. Some of the blocks were stationary, some were rotating, and others were sliding along the floor, walls, and/or ceiling.

"That explains the 'no magic' rule," Yuugi said. "That pink block's gotta be a target, and the place doesn't want someone to be able to just blast it from here."

"Most likely, yes. We're likely supposed to navigate through that fire to reach the target block."

"Those shots look like the Shades' shots."

"They do, but that's likely just a coincidence. They feel significantly different."

"I can't sense 'em well enough to tell. Well, whatever. Not like they can slow me down." Yuugi charged straight towards the block, into the field of fire, without bothering to try and avoid any of the shots. Naturally, she was hit right away, and an instant later, she appeared beside Nue back by the room's entrance. "What the hell?"

"Interesting," Nue said. "These shots aren't meant to harm, but to return you to the start of the room. No wonder they feel so unusual."

"So, what, we have to cross without getting hit even once?"

"I believe so," Nue said.

"Well, this probably won't work, but..." Yuugi flew up to the nearest face block and struck it, breaking it apart, only for it to reform almost immediately. "Yeah, I didn't think that would work. No brute-forcing through this one, I guess."

"You said it yourself, Yuugi; this temple was meant to test your people in ways they aren't used to. Oni pride themselves on their strength and durability; we should assume neither will work to pass these tests."

"Yeah, I guess that's right."

"These are tests of the mind, not just the body."

"Yeah. Wonder how many tries we get before it decides we've failed."

"I don't know, and I have no intention of finding out." With careful timing, Nue threw her trident such that it crossed the room without making contact with a single shot, sailing into and through the target box, which promptly broke apart into dust. "There," Nue said as she called her trident back to her.

"That works, too. I think. I doubt that'll work again, though."

With the target box gone, the other boxes stopped firing and broke apart themselves. Then words appeared on the ground in front of Nue and Yuugi, in both the ancient and current scripts. "Okay, then," Yuugi said. "Let's see... it says, 'Proceed to the next trial and devote yourself to the next rule',"

The seal on the room's door vanished, and the door swung open. As Yuugi and Nue returned to the main hall, the seal on the door immediately across from them, the one they'd first tried to open, vanished. "Looks like I was right," Nue said. "We'll just have to do these in order."

They headed over to the door, and Yuugi read the text on it. "'Forbidden: Soaring Eagle, Leaping Frog.' So no jumping or flying. I wonder why it's using animals."

"No idea. At least these ones make more sense than 'magic-spewing bat'."

"Yeah. Well, let's head in."

They did so, and as before, the door closed behind them and became sealed shut. This room was much like the last, except that this time, there was another door-also sealed-at the other end of the room. This room had large blocks arranged to form a winding path. Many of the blocks were just plain blocks, not moving or firing or doing anything at all. There were quite a few face blocks, though, and those were once again firing steady streams of shots.

"This one's a gauntlet run, it looks like," Nue said. "We have to reach the end without getting hit, and without jumping or flying over the blocks. I would think you'll find yourself unable to move or destroy them, too. I'm sure they're meant to withstand such attempts."

"And they're too large for us to climb over without jumping up to grab onto the top. We'll have to run through. But how? From what little we can see of the path from here, it doesn't look like those face blocks are gonna give us any openings in their fire."

"I may be able to block the shots with my trident, but oni generally don't use weapons, and blocking with your arms likely won't work here, since the shots return you to the start upon contact with you. I would assume you're meant to shield yourself with magic while passing through the path."

"I can produce enough shots to cover myself," Yuugi said. "This shouldn't be a problem."

"Probably true," Nue said, "but I have a better idea." She formed several rainbow UFOs and set them spinning around herself and Yuugi while spraying fire outwards. She also placed a couple overhead in case of a surprise from above. "There we go."

"That works, too."

The two of them made it through the path without incident, and Yuugi smashed the target block at the end. As before, all the other blocks in the room vanished, and text appeared on the floor. "It says the same thing as the last room did," Yuugi said.

This time, it was not the door through which they'd entered the room that became unsealed, but the one at the other end. And this one had writing on it, which Yuugi read. "'Forbidden: Soaring Eagle'. I guess we're going right to the next trial."

Through this door, the two found not another trial room, but a short corridor. "It looks like it runs parallel to the main hall," Nue said. "That door down there must lead to the next room down."

"Guess we won't be walking back into the main hall after every test, then. Looks like we'll be taking a snaking path through this place. Which means we'll have to get across to the door down there."

The only solid land in the corridor was directly in front of either door. Passing below those and crossing the entire corridor was the same flowing sand as in the main hall. Between to two doors were platforms floating on the sand.

"I'm guessing we don't want to touch the sand," Yuugi said.

Nue nodded. "It feels the same as the shots we've been dealing with. I believe touching the sand would have the same effect, sending us back to the start."

"Okay, so no flying and don't touch the sand. Easy enough." Yuugi ran and leapt across the platforms, making it to the other side in a matter of seconds. "Your turn." Nue formed a UFO, sat on it, and allowed it to carry her across. "Or you can do that. Hardly seems necessary, though; this one's pretty simple."

"I know," Nue said. "I'm running a test. I want to see how long it takes this place to forbid something I keep using."

Yuugi looked at the door. "Looks like it's reacting already. The inscription here's different than it was a moment ago. It already had 'Magic-Spewing Bat', and also 'Stationary Owl', which I guess means we have to move immediately when we enter and not stop until we destroy the target block."

"A reaction test, then. We won't be given time to think; we'll instead have to act immediately and react as we go."

"Yeah. Anyways, those were both there before, but now it's added another one, 'Pack-Hunting Wolf'."

"No familiars, then. Could also mean it doesn't want us going in together, wants each of us to be completely alone."

"No," Yuugi said, "that it doesn't do. You enter as a pair, you face the trials as a pair. We would never dishonor the legacy of Echina and Ekina."

"I think I've heard those names before. Can't really remember where, though."

"They're legendary among the oni. They lived a long time ago, even before this place was built. Echina was blind, and Ekina was born without arms. They were twins, and the two of them together were far more capable and formidable than any other oni or pair of oni, despite their disabilities. They held the title of Deva together, and are remembered as the greatest of the Devas. Nobody would even suggest preventing a pair from attempting the Trials together; such disrespect to their legacy would never be tolerated. No, the new rule is just no familiars, I'm sure. Surprised the temple reacted after just two uses, though."

"I... no, I don't think it's about how many times I used familiars," Nue said, a trace of awe in her voice. "I think it's because I used one frivolously. There was no reason I should've gone straight to using a familiar to get across, and this place recognized that. How the hell did the ancient oni manage to do that?"

"They infused this entire temple," Yuugi said. "Is this really that much more impossible?"

"Absolutely. Infusion on such a scale is at least theoretically possible; we just don't know how to do it. But  _this_..."

"We already knew the temple can react to our actions. How is this different?"

"Recognizing an action is simple," Nue said, "but recognizing  _intent_? Recognizing an action requires only observation and correlation, but intent requires  _interpretation_ , and only a mind can do that."

"Are you saying the ancient oni gave this place a  _mind_?"

"I don't know. That's not supposed to be possible, but neither is interpretation without one. I'd say it's more likely there's not a mind, but even so, this should be impossible. Damn! No  _wonder_  the kappa are interested in this place. Once this Black Scrawl business is done with, I've  _got_  to bring Byakuren here. She-or any high-level magician, for that matter-would  _love_  to be set loose in here."

"The sooner we get through here," Yuugi said, "the sooner you'll have that chance."

"That's true. Let's get moving, then. Remember, once we enter, move immediately and keep moving."

"Yeah. Let's go."

They entered the trial chamber and immediately began moving, something they promptly found to be fairly difficult. Face blocks were scattered throughout the room, creating a chaotic field of fire. At the other end of the room was a four-by-four stack of plain boxes. The target box was not visible.

"The target must be behind those boxes!" Nue said as she and Yuugi moved separately through the field of fire.

"I bet those boxes are there so you can't just throw your trident at it!"

"Then we get behind them. Move!"

Neither of them had too much difficulty navigating the field of fire without being hit. It was Nue who made it behind the boxes first, and she promptly destroyed the target.

"Not too hard for people familiar with danmaku," Yuugi said. "Wonder why it thought that would be a challenging test?"

"Danmaku only came into general use a couple thousand years ago, well after your people stopped using this place. And it laid abandoned until the kappa found it, but by then, the Shades had driven danmaku back out of common use. It's likely this place simply doesn't know about danmaku."

The tow of them moved on, passing back into the main hall. They crossed the bridge between it ad the next door. "Okay," Yuugi said, "this one says- wait, what the hell?"

"What is it?"

"It's... asking a question," Yuugi said. "The text reads: 'Question: What is danmaku?'"

"Holy shit," Nue said. "That'- how- this is- holy  _shit_."

"I know that's not supposed to be possible, but is it really that much more impossible than all that other stuff?"

"I... I suppose it's not any crazier than recognizing intent. But still, none of this is supposed to be possible. What the hell did the ancient oni do to pull this off?"

"Don't know," Yuugi said. "I do think we should answer the question, though." She turned back towards the door. "Danmaku is a non-lethal means of combat, used to prevent the risk of death. It became less common about five hundred years ago, but many of us are still familiar with it." She faced out towards the chasm and fired a few basic shots. "That's basic danmaku. Danmaku is usually fired in patterns." She produced a basic pattern. "That's a fairly basic pattern. This one is at a much higher level." She fired a far more complex pattern.

"The text on the door just changed," Nue said.

Yuugi turned back to the door and read the text. "It says 'Input accepted.' And it's changing again. Now it's telling us the next rules. We've got no magic and two new ones, 'Protected Turtle' and 'Blade-Wielding Tiger."

"No defensive positions, I would assume," Nue said, "and no weapons."

"You think that includes fists?"

"Probably not. There does need to be something we can use to destroy the target block, after all. Won't help you with the shots, though, I don't think."

"Yeah, probably not. Let's go."

They entered the test chamber to find a row of three blocks in front of them. Unlike the plain blocks encountered previously, however, these blocks were mostly transparent. On the other end of the room was the target block, sitting stationary in midair, and behind it was a solid wall of the face blocks, all of which began firing immediately. Only the clear blocks shielded Nue and Yuugi from the fire. There were other plain blocks throughout the room, some in mdair, though they were of the usual variety, non-transparent. They did serve to block the shots, though. But staying behind one wouldn't be quite that simple, as they were moving. Each block was moving back and forth a set distance, either side-to-side or up-and-down.

"This one's clear enough," Yuugi said, she and Nue safe from the barrage of fire behind the transparent blocks. "We have to use the moving blocks as cover."

"Yes," Nue said. "I can see one block that moves such that it's aligned with our cover here. We'll have to stay with each block until its 'clear lane' is right next to the clear lane of another, then move to that other one. We keep passing behind blocks further down, getting closer to the target block until we can move into its safe lane so we can get up to it and destroy it. Let's go one at a time, so we're not in each other's way."

"Yeah, good idea. I'll go first."

Yuugi waited until one of the blocks made a safe lane adjacent to the clear blocks, then moved into it. The block was now rising, but Yuugi knew not to immediately rise with it. Since the motion of the shots wasn't instantaneous, the safe area lagged behind the position of the block, and the farther from the block, the greater the lag. This made staying in the safe lane somewhat tricky farther away from the block, so Yuugi approached it, moving carefully through the lane. Upon reaching the block, Yuugi moved with it until it was next to another clear lane, then moved into that lane, with Nue then moving into the first lane as soon as she had a chance.

The two of them continued forward in this manner. As they moved farther through the room, the difficulty increased. The movement speed of the blocks began to vary, as did the time they remained paused at the ends of their back-and-forth paths. The last pair of lane changes were not at the end of the blocks paths, but in the middle, while they were still in motion. Neither of the pair had too much difficulty timing their movements correctly, and Yuugi, having started first, reached the target block and smashed it, clearing the trial. The door on the far end of the room opened, and Nue and Yuugi passed through. Beyond was a short corridor to the next trial chamber, parallel to the main hall like the sand corridor, although this one was simply a plain corridor.

The next trial forbade magic and defensive positions, as well as jumping and flying. The layout was simple; the target block was at the end of the room, again behind plain blocks, and along the left wall were face blocks at regular intervals, firing across the room into the other wall. "Okay," Yuugi said, "what's the plan here?"

"I can clear a path with my trident," Nue said, "but it seems strange to me that only one of us would be able to get through. It seems more likely that there's another way through this trial, one that doesn't require wielding a weapon. Especially since most oni don't use weapons."

"You do, and you can bet this place knows it. I don't think it's strange that it would want you to use it. And I can certainly see it forcing us to cooperate. Although I do think there's a way to get through without a weapon." Yuugi positioned herself along the left wall and charged, slamming into and through each face block before it was able to reform. "And that's it," she said after reaching the end. She then broke the target block, clearing the trial.

They passed through the main hall, stopping in front of the next door. "Okay," Yuugi said, "this one forbids... it says 'Slow-Moving Snail'. Huh."

"A new rule."

"And the only rule for this trial, it looks like. 'Slow-moving'. Does that mean we can't fall below a certain movement speed?"

"Doubtful," Nue said. "We already had one that forbade standing still; I don't think this place would make a separate rule that would essentially have the same effect. No, I think this rule is different from the others."

"Different how?"

"Different in that it's not forbidding any actions. I think it means we'll have a time limit."

"Yeah, that makes sense. All right, let's do it."

The trial chamber was filled from wall to wall with plain blocks, stacked up to the ceiling. There were three openings in the wall of blocks, and through them, Nue and Yuugi could see paths extending through more blocks. "They must go all the way back to the target," Yuugi said. "Looks like it's a maze."

"Indeed," Nue said. "And look at the blocks."

Yuugi took another look at the blocks. Unlike the plain blocks they'd seen in earlier trials, each of these had a line stretching across it. At one end of the line was an image of a snail. "What is that, a timer?"

"Most likely. I'd assume we have until the snail reaches the other side."

"It's not moving."

"Probably because we haven't started yet. I'm assuming the timer starts once one of us enters the maze."

"We go in separately, then," Yuugi said. "Only one of us has to reach the target, so there's no reason to stick together. At least it looks like there's light in there."

"Yes. I think it's coming from the blocks. I'm also sensing some sort of... interference, I guess. I think it'll disrupt control of familiars, so we won't be able to use those very well."

"Huh. Well, you ready?"

"I'm ready," Nue said. "Let's go."

The two of them entered the maze through separate openings. Nue went in through the lowest opening, a path which soon turned upward for a ways before again turning, heading for the side with multiple branches leading further in. She took them in order of appearance, exploring each one and all additional paths is spawned fully before moving on to the next. Most were fairly quick, though a couple were longer.

Yuugi's path was different. It had fewer branches, but they tended to be longer, winding their way through the maze before dead-ending. And these paths only occasional had branches of their own. Eventually, one of these led to a connected series of looping paths, and it was while exploring these that she found the target block. She smashed it, and the maze disappeared, dropping Yuugi and Nue to the ground, both of whom reacted quickly enough to land on their feet.

"That went well enough," Nue said.

"Yeah. Past the halfway mark, but not quite at the three-fourths mark, I think. Probably good that we didn't both choose a wrong entrance."

"I don't think it would have been that problematic," Nue said. "It's likely that the three sections were connected to each other within the maze."

"Well, maybe. Doesn't really matter now. Let's move on."

Next was another sand corridor, this one prohibiting familiars in addition to flying, presumably to prevent Nue from repeating her previous trick. The course was a bit tougher, with some platforms moving and others periodically lowering into the sand, but neither of the pair had any real difficulty crossing. "That's odd," Yuugi said, examining the door. "No rules listed here."

"Strange," Nue said. "Well, we'll likely find out why once we enter."

Yuugi opened the door. "Or exit, as the case may be."

This door, rather than leading into a trial chamber, opened to an outdoor bridge. As Nue and Yuugi crossed it, they saw that the bridge stretched across a small cleft in the face of a cliff, a cliff the temple appeared to be built into.

"Were we really that close to a cliff without noticing?" Yuugi said.

"I don't think so. Given the length of the temple we've traversed so far and the extremely low visibility caused by the sandstorm, we certainly could have missed it, but if there was really a cliff like this, someone would know, but nobody seemed to, and there wasn't one on the map. And looking at how far it seems to stretch, only part of it would be in the sandstorm area, anyways."

"Then what is this?"

"I don't know. It doesn't feel like an illusion, but I don't think we were sent anywhere. But it's obviously not actually physically here, so it's being produced somehow. Although I suppose if anything could produce an illusion I can't detect, it would be this place. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless this place was built into a cliff initially, before Gensokyo's separation."

"And, what, it was moved to be part of Gensokyo?"

"I think it could probably handle that part on its own, actually," Nue said. "It wouldn't actually have to physically move. Given that this entire place is infused, it certainly could have aligned its magical energy to resonate with that of the separation, which would have been enough to pull it into Gensokyo. It would hardly be the only structure brought into Gensokyo in that manner, although none were close to this scale. It was mostly individual homes whose residents didn't want to abandon them in the move. And they, not having the infusion this place does, had to be specifically enchanted to get pulled in, so this was really limited to the homes of sufficiently capable magicians or those who were able to enlist the services of such magicians."

"And those houses have effects like this? Views of landscapes that they no longer look out on?"

"No, but again, this place achieved the effect differently, aligning its own magic with the separation rather than being enchanted. And if it was built into the cliff, it's conceivable that some remnant of that would persist, even though the structure is no longer located in a cliffside."

"So this is, what, a memory?"

"Not exactly," Nue said, "but I think that analogy is fairly close."

"Huh."

"'Huh', indeed. I know I've said this before, but I absolutely have to bring Byakuren here sometime. But first we have to cure her. So let's move on."

[pause BGM]

* * *

This time, it was Mokou who waited to Kaguya to come back to life.

"I'm surprised," Kaguya said as she got to her feet. "I didn't think you'd take that shot."

"That may have been a fatal blow to you," Mokou said, "but Utsuho's tougher. She would have survived it."

"Most likely, yes. Another round?"

"I don't think so," Mokou said. "I think that's enough for today. Also, it'll be dark before too long. We should get that black thing to the village, and I think we'd be better received before dark. If we're doing it today, we should probably do it there's someone behind you."

Kaguya spun around, immediately seeing what Mokou was referring to. She had never before seen the woman who'd just walked into the clearing, but her form, especially the wings, made it clear that she was a butterfly youkai, though she did have a significantly more imposing figure than some might expect from a butterfly youkai.

"You are Kaguya and Mokou," the youkai said, "correct?"

"We are," Mokou said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Oricla. Lady Nightbug bade me introduce myself to you."

"You're here on behalf of Lady Nightbug?" Kaguya said. "Does that mean she's seen Utsuho?"

"No," Oricla said. "Lady Nightbug wishes for me to introduce myself to you. I often act as her messenger, and she wanted you to know who I am in the event that she uses me as such in regards to the two of you."

"I'd have thought she'd just arrange a bunch of bugs into the shape of words, or something like that," Mokou said.

"She can do such a thing, of course, but it is quite inefficient. This is doubly the case for conversations. Using insects in such a manner does work well enough for simple messages, and unless I happen to be nearby, she will likely do exactly that to point you in Utsuho's direction when the hell raven eventually emerges, since there's no way of knowing how long she may remain on the surface, or how much time she may need to do something Lady Nightbug would rather she not. Unless I am already close, it would be far more rapid to use insects to point you in Utsuho's direction."

"I can't see what conversations we'd need to have."

"There is something she desires your thoughts on, in fact. Utsuho herself has yet to be seen, but others have briefly emerged from the underground. A trio of ordinary hell ravens came to the surface. They circled around an area centered on the entrance to the underground, then passed back through said entrance. Another trio did the same at the entrance to the passage leading straight to the reactor. Lady Nightbug wishes to know if you, Fujiwara no Mokou, could perhaps shed light on their purpose."

"I don't know why Utsuho specifically might want them to do such a thing," Mokou said, "but speaking in general? If I were in her position, I'd make a point of keeping tabs on the area around the only ways to get to where I lived. She does know that I intend to stand against her, after all."

"You believe they were scouts, then."

"That'd be my guess. Don't know if that means Utsuho herself'll show up soon or if she just wants the area checked regularly, though."

"You don't believe the hell ravens' purpose could be more directly related to Utsuho's desire to break through the barrier?"

"I don't see how it could be. Hell ravens are normally pretty weak. They can do basic danmaku and such, but that's about it. Sort of like fairies, although not nearly as flimsy. Or as stupid. And with somewhat stronger danmaku. And highly tolerant of heat. Also they don't resurrect. The point is, none of them have any real power except for Utsuho, and hers came from a dead god."

"Lady Nightbug can channel her power through other insects to an extent. Can Utsuho do such with her kind?"

"No."

"We need not worry about them, then. That is good."

"Yeah, let Lady Nightbug know they aren't anything to worry about."

"She already knows everything that was said here."

"Ah, of course. She's observing through surrounding insects."

"Most likely. However, that is not to what I was referring. She can use my senses as her own, just as she can those of ordinary insects. She cannot control me or other insect youkai directly as she can ordinary insects-the minds of humans and youkai are too developed to be directly controlled in such a manner-but her awareness does still extend through us."

"So she heard it all through you."

"Yes, and she can speak to my mind, as well. She extends her thanks to you."

"She's welcome," Mokou said. "Do you have any other business here?"

"Hmm... yes, both of you are most surely in control of your fear."

"Excuse me?"

"Lady Nightbug wished me to evaluate your fear," Oricla said. "She wondered if your immortality had led to fearlessness, but her worries were ungrounded."

"I'm still confused," Mokou said.

"Fearlessness oft leads to carelessness, which you can ill afford in a confrontation with one such as Utsuho. As I was already coming to speak with you, Lady Nightbug asked me to examine the state of your fear. And as it happens, you are quite well aware that you have things to fear."

"Kaguya just spent 500 years trapped inside a sun," Mokou said. "Of course she knows she has something to fear."

"And you know it, too. But that is just one specific fear. It was quite possible that fear in general is something you two simply do not feel, but I see now that this is not the case. You are both very much in control of it, which is good, but it is there, which is also good."

"And you know this how?"

"I am able to sense fear, and if necessary, I can also manipulate it to an extent. This would mean little to ones such as you, who are so securely in control of your fear, and Shades, of course, have not the minds to respond to fear, even if they do feel it, which I am not sure of; they... confuse my sense."

"They do that to a lot of people. But... your ability is to manipulate fear?"

"Makes sense to me," Kaguya said. "Markings such as those on the wings of butterflies are often meant for intimidation, are they not? Their purpose is to scare away potential threats. It doesn't surprise me that this would translate to manipulation of fear upon becoming a youkai."

_I guess that could account for her imposing figure, too._  "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"Many think fear is something that should be overcome," Oricla said, "but they are wrong. Fear is natural, and it is beneficial. Only when you allow it to control you does it become harmful."

"I figured that one out a long time ago," Mokou said.

"Yes, and that is good. My business here is now concluded, so I shall leave you to yours. It is like we will meet again, so until then, farewell."

"...Right," Mokou said after Oricla flew off. "That was a little odd. Okay, then. As I was saying, I think I should head to the village now, deliver that object. Let me guess: you're going to insist on coming."

"I see no need to," Kaguya said.  _Training with me is probably enough for now. It's likely not a good idea to push her too hard._  "Instead, I think I'll return to Eientei for a little while. I'll meet you back at your home."

"Well, works for me," Mokou said.

"In that case, you should get moving."

* * *

[Resume BGM]

"Okay," Yuugi said as she examined the text on the door at the far end of the bridge, "this one says 'Forbidden: Soaring Eagle, Blade-Wielding Tiger, Striking Gorilla'. I'm guessing that new one means I can't punch things."

"Probably," Nue said. "It would seem we'll be limited to magic here."

They entered the chamber. "A lot smaller than normal," Yuugi said. "Guess that makes sense, given that room had to be made for the bridge."

"No obstacles or target block," Nue said. "Just a lot of Shades." The room was filled with Shades, most of which were human-type, though there were also a few of the larger oni-types, with their standard shadowy maces as opposed to the shadowy swords the human-types used.  _As much as they're 'using' them at all, since the 'weapons' really seem more like they're part of the Shades._ "Remember, magic only."

"Of course. Let's do this."

The battle didn't take long. Even limited to magic, Nue and Yuugi had no difficulty with the Shades. Nue, by far the more magically capable of the two, tore through them along with the UFO familiars she summoned. Yuugi took out quite a few as well, despite her lesser magic ability.

"Right," Yuugi said once the Shades were all killed, "that was easy enough wait we're not done yet."

A new enemy appeared in the middle of the room, right in front of the pair. It looked Shade-like, but it was significantly larger than any ordinary Shade. And in place of hands were what had the shape of large hammer heads, composed of the same shadowy material and seeming just as much part of it as ordinary Shades' 'weapons' seemed to be part of them.

Nue immediately spread green UFOs throughout the room, focusing their beams on the creature. Though this did appear to be doing damage, it didn't stagger the creature as would happen to ordinary Shades. It swung one of its hammers in Nue's direction, slamming it into the ground. A series of earthen spikes shot out of the ground in a line forward from the site of impact, each promptly vanishing and leaving no sign that it had ever been there. Nue barely made it out of the way in time, but when the creature repeated the move, Nue, knowing what to expect, had a much easier time evading the attack.

Nue and Yuugi circled the creature as it spun in place, repeatedly slamming its hammers into the ground and sending spike rows at the pair, this seeming to be its only means of attack. Nue and Yuugi fired at the creature constantly, as did Nue's UFOs. The creature took a fair amount of damage, but eventually, it collapsed to the ground, vanishing just as ordinary Shades did. And with its death, the trial was cleared.

"That was odd," Yuugi said.

"In more ways than one. I won't even bother asking how this place managed to just put that thing in here like that-we've already seen crazier from it-but I've never seen a Shade like that before." Nue produced the tablet, checking to see if the Shade had held another of the black objects. "Didn't have what we're looking for, though. Still just three pieces in the tablet." She returned the tablet to the nether. "Well, either way, that was clearly no ordinary Shade."

"You think this place made it somehow?"

"No. This isn't the first crazy Shade-like thing we've seen; that 'Hook' thing at the Aerie was far crazier, after all. No, I'm fairly sure it was already in the temple somewhere and just got moved into this room. I'm more concerned about why we haven't been seeing these abnormal Shades until now. But we're not going to figure that out by just standing around here. Let's get moving."

The pair stepped through the door to find themselves in a corridor, rather than the main hall as they were expecting. A quick look to the right revealed that this corridor began at the end of the main hall, on the far side. "There's the rest of the 'how is there room for this' puzzle," Yuugi said. "Not only was the trial chamber smaller, they added the width of the main hall to the space they had to work with."

The corridor continued down only a short way before ending. At the end was another door, on the same side of the corridor as the one Nue and Yuugi had just emerged from. "No writing here," Yuugi said. "I'd guess we're going 'outside' again."

Through the door was indeed another bridge, leading across to a large door. And there was someone sitting in front of the door, a kappa wearing a pack much like the one Nitori often wore. The kappa got to her feet as Nue and Yuugi approached. "I wasn't expecting others to be here. The Rules prohibit entry to this place except in the presence of a royal, so my people wouldn't have let you enter. Did you come here on your own, without first stopping in Facade?"

"No," Yuugi said. "I am Yuugi Hoshiguma, one of the Four Devas of the Mountain, the rulers of the Oni. A guide in the city named Fyra informed us that this qualifies me as royalty under your rules."

"Indeed it does," the kappa said. "Who is your companion?"

"I am Nue Houjuu," Nue said. "You are Sechs, I assume."

"I am indeed. Might I ask what business you have here?"

"There are Shades here," Nue said, "and we're hunting them."

"The Shades here rarely leave. I would think there are better destinations for Shade hunters. These ones aren't harming anyone."

"We're looking for objects they possess." Nue produced the tablet. "It appears there's a total of eight of these black objects, three of which are already in this tablet. Yuugi has a fourth back at her home, so that leaves four more. Of the ones we have, one was in the tablet when we found it, two were held by Shades, and the fourth was likely in a Shade's possession initially, though it wasn't when we found it."

"So you think the other pieces will also be held by Shades, and you came here because of the large number them here, even though they aren't as active as most. I see. Well, I have not seen such a thing, and I've had to eliminate a lot of Shades."

Nue returned the tablet to the nether. "We've only had one combat trial so far. Although it did have quite a few Shades."

"I've had four," Sechs said. "The first had no restrictions except a time limit, the second forbade my supportive equipment, the third forbade weapons and unarmed strikes, and the fourth forbade magic. That one was the last trial I faced, and it wore me out somewhat, so I've been resting here before beginning the next trial. It appears to be the final trial, and I didn't want to face it when I was already worn. I was about ready to enter when I saw the two of you. But I see no sign of anyone else. Are you two here alone?"

"We are," Yuugi said.

"And yet you identified me quickly That implies you already knew I was here."

"We did."

"And yet, none of my people are with you."

"The messenger wanted us to give them time to assemble, but we didn't want to wait. We said we'd keep an eye out for you while we were in here, though."

"They would want you to return me to the city immediately. Are you going to do so? To attempt to prevent me from completing the final trial?"

"No," Yuugi said, "but if you're going for it now, you'll be with us in there."

"I am here to complete the Trials as they were meant to be completed."

"The Trials allow for groups. If we go in together, the last trial will adjust itself appropriately."

"It can do that so quickly?"

"Surely you can feel the magic here," Nue said. "This entire temple has been infused. It's certainly capable of adapting on the fly like that."

"I suppose the magic here is likely sufficient for such a thing. And I know it can adjust based on what you do to clear each trial, although I thought the rules were all that it used for that; I didn't think it could change the actual trials that quickly. Anyways, if it can recognize how one clears the trials, it can certainly recognize that we are attempting this last one as a trio. I have to wonder how this place was even made. And why the magic needed is no longer known."

"The second question is easy to answer," Nue said. "It likely happened as a result of the gradual decline of magic, back before Gensokyo was separated. The decline was slow, happening over many thousands of years. There are very very few youkai alive today that were around before the decline began, if there are even any at all. The greater magics would have slowly become unusable, and thus eventually forgotten. We don't have to worry about declining magic now that Gensokyo's separate, but we haven't had nearly enough time to regain even a small amount of what was lost."

"I suppose that makes sense," Sechs said. "It also is not important at the moment, though. If the trial will adapt to us attempting it as a group, then I suppose it won't be necessary for be to wait until you're finished. I shall enter the chamber now."

"Let's do it, then," Yuugi said. She examined the door. "It doesn't look like there are any rules here. All it says is 'Final Trial: Shahryar'."

"Indeed," Sechs said. "I saw that myself."

"Wait, you can read this script?"

"Only on a very basic level. Enough to be able to tell what the rules have been, but little more than that."

"No rules here, though. Just 'Shahryar', whatever that means. Let's go find out what it means."

[End BGM]

This trial chamber was large. Not quite as long as most of the others, but significantly wider, and larger vertically as well. Only the first half of it had a floor; halfway through the room, the floor was replaced by a pit with sand at the bottom, the same sand from the corridors and the main hall.

"This room has the same disruption effect as the maze," Nue said. "Using familiars will be difficult. I believe I can manage a couple if I keep the close, but certainly nothing more than that."

"The room looks empty," Yuugi said. "What's the trial supposed to WHOA!"

[BGM = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LKIsWOSHAY]

A large number of face blocks rose out of the sand. They formed themselves into four circles hovering in a stack. The bottom of the lowest circle of boxes was about even with the floor, and each remaining circle was one block-length above the one below it. The stack was positioned such that the nearest block of the bottom circle was barely not touching the floor in front of it. Four of the boxes in each ring were glowing. Those in the three higher rings were blue, but the ones in the bottom ring were pink, as the target blocks in the trials had been.

"Okay," Yuugi said, "what the hell is that thing?"

The rings began slowly rotating, and as they did, the face blocks in the bottom ring began firing shots, and not just horizontally; each block fired a vertical spread. "No aerial safe areas," Nue said as the three of them spread out and began evading the shots, "and shots are angled down into the pit, too, so no going below the shots, either. And these don't feel like the shots from the other trials. These feel more like what you see from Shades."

"So there's actual danger from these shots," Sechs said. "As I anticipated, the final trial is one of combat."

"Not our usual kind, though," Yuugi said. "I don't think just beating on this thing will work."

"The pink blocks are the targets," Nue said. She pointed her trident at the lower ring and fired a beam, keeping it steady as the ring rotated, striking the enemy and at the same time canceling out any shots heading towards her position. The first block struck was one of the targets, but unlike the target blocks in the other trials, this one wasn't immediately destroyed. It rotated out of the beam, face blocks passing through it. These were destroyed fairly quickly, but each one released a spray of shots upon destruction. These shots were black in color, and were able to pass through Nue's beam without being canceled out. And every time a face block was destroyed, another quickly rose from the sand to replace it.

The shots released by destroyed blocks were not much of a problem, so Nue kept her beam trained on the ring, sidestepping black shots as necessary. None of the target blocks were destroyed on their first pass through the beam, but two passes was enough to destroy each one.

When all four target blocks were destroyed, the ring stack stopped rotating, and the face blocks in the lower ring stopped firing and fell into the sand. The ring stack dropped so that the second ring was now in the same position as the first ring. The stack began rotating again, a little faster than before, and two of the blue blocks became pink. The face blocks on the ring began firing, doing so at a slightly faster rate. In addition, a horizontal spread was added, with fewer shots than the vertical spread but over a same-sized arc, resulting in the horizontal spread being less dense. But it was plenty to prevent Nue from repeating her previous trick.

Nue formed two green UFOs and placed them to her sides, positioned slightly back from her. She angled their beans such that they impacted each other a short distance in front of her. "I've got a safe zone here, but with this interference, I need to put enough effort into maintaining control of my familiars that I can't do much else! One of you get in the safe zone and take out the targets!"

Sechs landed in Nue's safe zone and held out her arm. A device of some kind stuck itself out from her pack and formed itself around her arm. She pointed it forward and used it, firing a laser that struck one of the pink blocks head-on. "I will handle this."

The four target blocks began alternating between blue and pink. "I would assume we cannot destroy them while they are blue," Sechs said. "Very well, then." She timed her shots carefully such that she only hit the target blocks, and only when they were pink. Each block took four hits to destroy, and when they were all gone, the ring fell apart as the first one had, and the third one lowered its position.

The third ring's rotational and firing speeds were faster than the second ring's and this time, the horizontal spread was just as dense as the vertical one. In addition, the shots began bouncing off the walls. Each shot only ricocheted once, and not at all if it hit the front wall, the one where the entrance was. Its target blocks switched states in unison, being all the same color at the same time.

The ricocheting shots meant that the green UFOs could no longer provide adequate cover, so Nue dismissed them. In their place, she formed a single rainbow UFO and set it spinning around her, spraying out its own shots. This helped significantly, but wasn't enough to completely protect her. Keeping a single familiar under control wasn't much of a problem, though, even with the interference, so Nue had no problems evading the shots it missed. Yuugi was spraying shots in front of her to cut down on the number she had to evade. She may have been firing blindly so she could concentrate on evasion, but there were enough shots that she was still clearing out quite a few of them. Sechs, on the other hand, wasn't taking any measures to reduce the shots coming her way, but she was proving herself to be quite skilled in the art of evasion, and was having no difficulty. In fact, she was aiming and firing even as she weaved through the shots. "I shall handle the offense here."

"I'll leave you to that!" Yuugi said. "I'm having enough trouble just dodging!" And sure enough, a shot soon hit her, knocking her back several feet. "Damn, that hurts! Watch out; these shots are strong!"

"I'm all right," Nue said, "and Sechs seems to have things under control, too."

And indeed she did. Despite the number of shots and lack of a safe zone, it didn't take much longer for Sechs to take out the third ring that it did the second. "That was impressive," Yuugi said.

"I may lack in raw power," Sechs said, "but skill can make up for this. As can proper equipment. And I have both. My people have long since learned how to compensate for our weaknesses. We may not have the strength or power of some, but we do have our minds."

The fourth ring spun around more quickly than the third, but its pattern of fire wasn't a simple escalation over the previous as the other rings had done. Only every other face block fired shots. They fired the shots in blocks that spread out as they traveled. Though each block fired significantly more shots at a time than the last ring, the fact that only half as many were firing, combined with a slower rate of fire, meant there were significantly fewer shots to worry about. And the shots no longer ricocheted, either. The other face blocks, however, weren't inert. Rather than firing shots, each one fired a continuous laser. They swept those lasers rapidly around the room, and the lasers did angle off the walls, four times each. And unlike the third ring's shots, the lasers were able to bounce off the front wall.

This time, the target blocks were only vulnerable one at a time. As before, Sechs did a good deal of the damage. Nue attacked the vulnerable block whenever she had a chance, but most of her efforts were focused on dodging. Yuugi, however, wasn't content with remaining evasive this time. She picked her moment and charged in, successfully evading the shots as she closed in. The lasers were a bit trickier, as their rapid movement and the number of times each could be reflected made them very hard to predict. She took a few hits from the lasers, but these didn't have the effect of knocking her back that the shots did, and she kept closing, eventually plowing into and through the currently vulnerable block, destroying it. By this point, Sechs had already destroyed two blocks, leaving only one. Yuugi, now within the ring and safe from the shots, though not the lasers, flew up to it, smashing it as soon as it became vulnerable. With all four blocks destroyed, the ring collapsed, and Nue Yuugi, and Sechs all landed, facing the pit.

"Okay," Yuugi said, "that wasn't really it, was it? Surely there's more to it than that."

"I would assume so" Nue said, dismissing her familiar.

As if on cue, an enormous number of face blocks rose from the sand, forming themselves into a humanoid torso, arms, and head. The 'head' was multiple blocks in a cube shape, and the 'hands' were blocks in square shapes. The hands were made up entirely of target blocks, all of them currently blue.

"Okay." Yuugi said, "this is different."

"I have never seen the like," Sechs said. "What is this thing?"

"A large number of blocks," Nue said. "Blocks currently in the form of a giant humanoid upper body."

"Shahryar," Sechs said. "That word on the door. It is like to be this construct's name."

"Probably refers to the block collection as a whole, and not just this formation."

"Who cares about the name?" Yuugi said. "Let's just beat this thing."

Shahryar slammed its 'hands' into the ground, creating energy waves that expanded outwards from the point of impact which all three took to the air to avoid. Shahryar swung its arm at Nue, who reacted in time to slip over the hand as it passed. Or she would have, had the blocks forming the hand not spread apart somewhat, resulting in Nue dodging straight into one and being flung into the wall. The 'head' rotated slightly on top of the rest of the construct, towards Nue, and the front layer of the blocks composing it-the 'face', more or less, though they looked no different from any of the other blocks-fired lasers directly into her.

Yuugi smashed into Shahryar's 'head' from the side, plowing through it and destroying most of it, including the 'face'. And she was moving fast enough that most of the shots spawned upon the destruction of the blocks missed her. She was hit by a couple from the last blocks as she slowed upon completion of her charge, which did knock her back, and, of course, new blocks rose from the sand to replace the ones Yuugi had destroyed, but she'd already done what she'd meant to, stopping the lasers.

Nue pushed herself off the wall. "Thanks for that."

"The lasers don't have the pushing force of the shots," Yuugi said. "They wouldn't have kept you pinned. They do hurt a bit, though. Thought I'd stop it hitting you while you were down."

"Lasers weren't that bad, but try not to let this thing smack you, because that hits hard."

Multiple blocks in the construct's 'torso' separated themselves from the main body and flew at the trio. Nue and Sechs immediately launched into evasive action, and quickly found that the blocks were far harder to dodge than the shots had been. Unlike the shots, the blocks adjusted their trajectories. "Damn homing attacks," Nue said after a near miss. "This is like fighting a Hakurei maiden."

"I have never had that experience," Sechs said.

"Well, you weren't around during Reimu's time, were you? I think she fought-and beat-just about every youkai in Gensokyo."

Unlike the other two, Yuugi didn't bother trying to evade the blocks. She waited as they approached, then simply punched through each one, dodging around the shots they spawned upon destruction. When several approached at once, she spun around, slamming her fist through them all and then leaping over the resulting shots. More blocks rose to replace the ones she destroyed, but she just kept destroying any that came at her.

It was during this time that the target blocks finally turned pink. Sechs, of course, had little difficulty firing at them while maintaining her evasion, and Nue took shots whenever she had a chance. Yuugi, however, took a different approach. Instead of destroying the nest block to come at her, she sidestepped, grabbed it, channeled its momentum into a spin, and threw it into one of the target blocks, destroying both.

The blocks composing the construct's 'face' began firing lasers again. Some of them were swept randomly through the chamber as those of the last ring had been, while others chased after their specific targets. The addition of the lasers made things harder, and Nue began to take hits. Even Sechs took a couple, though neither took hits from the blocks, as they prioritized dodging those over the less immediately damaging lasers. Yuugi simply ignored the lasers entirely as she continued to throw blocks into the targets.

Eventually, all the target blocks were destroyed. The blocks flying around the room returned to the construct, and then, as with the rings, the construct came apart, the blocks falling into the sand. "You all right, Yuugi?" Nue said.

"Yeah. A little worse for wear, though. Think I underestimated how much damage those lasers can do if you let them stay on you, but I'm tough enough to handle it."

More blocks rose from the sand. "It would seem time for the third round," Sechs said.

This time, the blocks formed themselves vertically into squares, each one having the next set inside it. The corners of all four of them were blue target blocks, and the sides were face blocks. The largest square had seven face blocks to a side, the next one five, then three, and the smallest only had one face block on each side.

The squares began rotating clockwise, and the four target blocks on the outer square turned pink. Each face block began firing a laser. These lasers swept randomly around the room, and each reflected off the walls once. "This is the third round?" Yuugi said. "Seems a lot like the first."

"Stay alert," Nue said. "There may be more to this than we've seen yet."

Though there were quite a few lasers, the fact that there was nothing else to dodge, combined with the fact that each laser only reflected once, made evasion fairly easy, and the trio had no difficulty getting shots off. They soon found, however, that these target blocks took much longer to destroy than the previous ones had. Eventually, though, the four target blocks were destroyed, and as with the rings before it, the outer square ceased movement and came apart, the blocks falling into the sand.

The target blocks on the second square all turned pink, and that square's face blocks began firing. This time, each block fired two lasers, resulting in there being more of them even though there were fewer blocks firing. Eight additional face blocks rose from the sand and took positions encircling the squares, and these blocks began firing sprays of shots. They were fairly thin sprays, though, not dense at all, and so didn't add too much to the difficulty.

The second square didn't take any longer to deal with than the first. The third one, however, was a much greater escalation over the previous that the second one had been. Each block in the square fired four lasers, there were twice as many additional face blocks, and their sprays were much denser.

"Really?" Yuugi said. "This is still basically a repeat of the first round. Is this part even necessary?"

"There must be more to this," Sechs said. "It's like this place would not provide a repeat challenge. Remain ready; I anticipate something new."

"Well, until whatever it is shows up, let's just beat on this thing."

This square took significantly longer than the others, as it was a lot more difficult to get shots off. Sechs, of course, did most of the work, with the others taking shots whenever they could, but even Sechs was having some difficulty. Yuugi took multiple hits, and Nue took a few as well. Even Sechs was hit a couple times.

_This has to be more than just greater and greater numbers of shots,_ Nue thought as she slipped between two lasers.  _We've already had that. And if the fourth square is as much of an escalation as this one is, there won't be room to evade at all, much less get any shots off. But these trials are about adapting, adjusting. There's a trick to this, but-of course. Of course. We're thinking about this the wrong way._

Eventually, the third ring was finished, leaving only the smallest to go. "Sechs," Nue said, "to me! Now!"

"Why-"

"Now!"

Sechs flew up to Nue's position. "Please inform me as to-ah!"

This time, each of the square's mere four face blocks fired ten lasers, and there were a lot of additional face blocks firing extremely dense sprays of shots. The field of fire was almost impossible to navigate through. Except that Nue had figured out the trick to it. She grabbed Sechs and launched into a series of evasions, carrying Sechs through them as well. "Nue," Sechs said, "what are you doing?"

"I've figured it out! I'll carry you through the field of fire; you focus on taking out the target blocks! Yuugi, I can't pull you along too without sacrificing too much maneuverability, so just evade the best you can!"

"Got it!" Yuugi said. "Sechs, take that thing out!"

"Very well," Sechs said. "If you are able to take me through this fire, I am able to destroy the targets."

They did exactly that. As Sechs fired at the target blocks, Nue carried her through the oncoming fire, and despite the density of the fire coming at them, neither one of them took even a single hit. Yuugi didn't do nearly as well at evading, but she was tough enough to take the hits just fine.

With Nue handling the evasion for her, Sechs was able to take out the targets fairly quickly. As the square and all the additional blocks fell into the sand, Nue released Sechs, and the two of them landed. Yuugi quickly came up beside them. "Nice, Nue. How'd you pull that off?"

"The squares looked like they were a repeat of the rings," Nue said, "but they weren't. I knew there had to be a trick to it; this place pretty clearly wouldn't give us the same test twice. And then I figured it out."

"That much is clear," Sechs said. "Tell us, though, what conclusion you reached."

"We were approaching it the wrong way," Nue said. "Those were real, damaging shots, as opposed to danmaku, so we were thinking of them as such. But we were wrong to. Those may have been damaging shots, but they were being used like danmaku."

"Patterns," Sechs said. "Your ability to evade so successfully was due to determining the pattern."

"Yeah. It was a very complicated pattern, but once I realized it was a pattern, I was able to figure it out."

"Then take credit for a job well done. I believe, though, that this place predates the development of danmaku by a very long time. How would it know of danmaku?"

"Because we mentioned it while going through our trials," Nue said, "and the temple asked us what it was."

"The temple-wait,  _what_? The-the temple...  _asked_  you?"

"Yeah, this place is kind of crazy like that," Nue said. "I figured that was why you kappa were studying it."

"We... well, we... we knew it was infused, that there was magic within it which we knew not, but not that it was capable of something such as that. We-"

"Heads up!" Yuugi said. "This isn't over yet!"

More blocks rose from the sand. This time, however, they didn't arrange themselves into any formation; they simply flew around above the pit. There were seven target blocks, all pink, and a large number of face blocks. The face blocks immediately began firing far more shots and lasers than any of the other stages of the battle. None of them ricocheted or reflected off the walls, but the numbers far more than made up for this.

"I don't see a pattern!" Nue said, the trio launching into evasive action. "I don't know if there is one!"

"Of course there's not," Yuugi said. "We already had that." She flew in front of Sechs just in time to get hit by a shot, knocking her back into the kappa. She immediately grabbed hold of Sechs and flew back to the wall. She landed, put Sechs right against the wall, then placed herself in front of Sechs, facing her. "Sechs, I'll take the hits! You take out those damn targets! Nue, you just play evasion!"

Yuugi placed her hands on the wall, bracing herself and pushing back against the force of the many shots that hit her, preventing them from knocking her into Sechs. She was hit by lasers, too, but she held up to the fire as Sechs aimed and fired. This time, the target block she'd aimed at was destroyed in one shot, so she turned her attention to the next. And then the next. And then the next, until all seven were destroyed.

This time, the blocks did not fall into the sand, instead breaking apart as others in the temple had upon the completion of each trial. Nue, a bit worse for wear, landed beside Yuugi and Sechs. "I think that means it's over."

[End BGM]

Yuugi stepped away from Sechs and immediately collapsed into a sitting position. "Are you all right?" Sechs asked.

"I... think so," Yuugi said, "but... help me remember... not to do that again."

"That was a lot of fire you took," Nue said, "and those were pretty strong shots."

"Yeah. That's a level of fire... even I would have trouble withstanding. As... you can see."

"You did well," Sechs said. "And you as well, Nue."

"You, too, Sechs," Nue said. "This place definitely took all three of us into account with that trial."

Text appeared on the ground in front of the trio. IT was more than Sechs was able to read, so after remaining seated for a minute, Yuugi pushed herself to her feet and read it. "All right, it says, 'You have completed the Trials. All three of you now receive the Mark of the Trials. It will show itself on the back of your hands should you desire it to.' Yeah, we cleared them, all right. Wait, now it's changing. It says, 'One of the creatures you have called 'Shades' that came here bore a black object. This object is now in the Temple's possession. One of you bears a tablet with other such objects placed within it, and expressed a desire to find all of them. The Temple has no use for this object, and releases it into your possession.' Um."

Nue produced the tablet. "It's right. There's a fourth one in here now. I would be stunned at this place recognizing that it's something I wanted if I hadn't already seen it do things just as crazy."

"Guess this was a worthwhile trip for all of us, then," Yuugi said. "I think we're done here, though."

"Indeed," Sechs said. "Let us return to Facade. The two of you shall be my guests tonight."

"Well, it's probably almost night by now,"" Nue said, "so yes, I think we'll take you up on that offer. We have a companion who remained in the city; can she be likewise accommodated?"

"Certainly," Sechs said. "Come."

"Yeah," Yuugi said, "let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me a while when I initially wrote it, which there were a couple reasons for. First of all, at over 14,000 words, it's the longest chapter I'd ever written at the time (I've since written a longer one) by a significant margin. And second, the Barren Temple, as it turns out, makes for a hard area to write. An enjoyable one, but a hard one.
> 
> For those who are wondering, I did not take the actual trials from NieR, but the basic concept of 'reach and destroy the target block without getting hit while following the rules' is the same. And yes, the boss of the dungeon is a collection of blocks that behaves much like it did here, although the battle in NieR ends after the squares. And also I had significantly more shots and lasers being fired in order to compensate for the whole 'not limited to the ground' thing and the general power and ability level of the characters.
> 
> We've met a new character now, Oricla. She's another OC I liked the idea of. And no, I don't actually know if the markings on butterflies' wings are meant for intimidation, but I don't particularly care, either.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading, and, as always, any comments are appreciated.


	10. Borders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Nue and Yuugi return to Facade with Princess Sechs, Mokou makes her way to the human village. And the next day, Mira finally meets with Ran, who shares what she knows about the border's condition.

  
**Chapter 10  
** _Borders_   


"So it went well, then," Levia said.

Quite a few people had been waiting when Nue and Yuugi arrived in Facade with Sechs. Fyra had cleared out the crowd quickly by citing various rules, until only she and Levia were left. She then embraced Sechs quite passionately.

After that, Sechs and Fyra took the trio into the palace, where Sechs went off separately as Fyra showed the three to the guest quarters. After she'd left, Nue and Yuugi filled Levia in on the events at the temple.

"Very well," Nue said. "I found what I was looking for, and Sechs was there, too. I also learned that I had no idea how much was lost during the decline of magic before Gensokyo's separation. Once this is all over, I'm bringing Byakuren here. Any magician would love to have a chance to study a place like that."

"Something which is quite understandable. Many, of course, would want to use any knowledge gained from such studies for themselves, but I do not believe Byakuren is one of them."

"Even I know that," Yuugi said.

There was a knock on the door. Yuugi was closest, so she opened it, revealing Fyra. "Well, hi there. Finished showing Sechs your affection?"

"What?" Fyra said. "I- I- um-"

Yuugi laughed. "I'm just having a little fun."

"Oh."

"You do care about her, however," Levia said, "and she about you. That much would be clear to me even without your earlier display of affection."

"Well, yeah," Fyra said. "We are engaged, after all."

"I see."

"Really?" Yuugi said. "There aren't any rules about who royalty has to marry?"

"There are several," Fyra said, "and I meet all of them. There's no rule that royalty has to marry royalty, though. We don't have any other royalty, so that would be a pretty stupid rule for us to have."

"Oh, yeah. That makes sense."

"Anyways, as per Rule #69,004, Princess Sechs extends an invitation for you to dine with her tonight."

"Well, sure," Yuugi said. "I don't see why not."

"Yes," Nue said, "we will come. Levia here has certain requirements, though."

"She is correct," Levia said.

"Oh?" Fyra said. "Well, we can certainly accommodate that. What are your requirements?"

"Plain meat, uncooked, living or freshly killed."

"Got it," Fyra said. "I'll let the kitchen staff know." She exited the room. "See you at dinner!"

* * *

While living underground, Mokou had only very rarely visited the human village. She'd been there a couple times since leaving the underground, but only briefly. Most of the villagers did know who she was, though.

The layout of the village hadn't changed much over the years, but that didn't mean she knew where Nue and Byakuren lived. So she headed for Keine's home, instead.

Keine was sitting out front when Mokou arrived. "Hey, Keine."

"Mokou!" Keine got to her feet. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you, too," Mokou said. "Nice to be around an actual friend for a change."

"An old friend, maybe. It's been quite some time sincne we've done anything more than exchange basic pleasantries."

"I've been... distracted."

"Yes," Keine said, "Nue and Byakuren told be about your, um, current situation."

Mokou sighed. "Let me guess; you're gonna tell me the same thing everyone else has, right? That Utsuho's the one who did it, not me, that I'm guilty only of not trying to stop it."

"It doesn't sound like I need to. You seem to have said it for me. And I won't talk about it if you don't want to. Although I will say that if 'everyone else' has been telling you the same thing, that might just mean there's merit to it."

"No," Mokou said, "there's not. I'm just as guilty as she is."

"She put Kaguya in there, Mokou, not you."

"It's my fault, too. I could have stopped her, Keine. She would have listened to me. All I had to do was tell her not to, and she wouldn't have."

"You know the desire for vengeance better than anyone else, Mokou, so ask yourself: do you really believe that?"

Mokou was silent for a while. "I'm looking for Nue," she said eventually, showing Keine the black object. "I think I have something she may be interested in."

"That's... yes, I think she will be. Where did you find that?"

"In the forest. A Shade dropped it. And not a normal Shade. Several times larger. I don't think anyone's seen one like that before."

"Nue ran into some sort of monstrous, grotesque one at the Aerie the other day."

"Mine wasn't 'grotesque'," Mokou said. "It was still humanoid, just a few times larger than other Shades."

"Hmm... I should inform Ari of this."

"She's been looking into these objects?"

"Among other things, yes. You want me to deliver the object for you?"

"I don't see why I couldn't do it myself," Mokou said. "I just don't know where Nue lives."

"Ah, of course. I'll take you, then. Although it's just Byakuren there at the moment; Nue's away right now."

"Looking for more of these things"

"Yes. She's in Facade at the moment."

"That's the kappa's new city, right? Way out in the desert? Seems an unlikely place to find Shades."

"Their queen was claimed by the Black Scrawl," Keine said. "Nue was hoping their research into the disease would point her in the direction of one or more of the objects."

"Ah. Yeah, that makes sense. Well, I'll just give it to Byakuren, then."

"Very well," Keine said. "Come with me, then. This way. And along the way, you can give me a little more detain on just what's been going on with you."

"As long as I can ask about how things are going for you."

"Fair enough."

"All right, then, where should I start?"

"Well, things changed for you about a month ago, right? When the Shades attacked the underground. That's when you left the Palace of Earth Spirits, I believe. Why don't you start there?"

"All right," Mokou said. "Yes, that's when things changed. I don't know what happened to Utsuho, but after the attack, she was... different. That's when she started going on about breaking out of Gensokyo and taking vengeance on the Lunarians. She went crazy, and after a few days of that, I just walked out, told her that if she wasn't going to be the woman I loved any longer, then I wasn't going to stay. She barely noticed, I think.

"So I came back above ground. My old house in the forest wasn't there any more, but I found a place that was both intact and unoccupied, so I moved in. I spent the time readjusting to living up here, and trying to figure out what I was going to do next, because I wanted the old Utsuho back, and I didn't want to let her do what she planned to do to the Lunarians. They weren't a part of anything, and if Utsuho attacked them, it would be only because she'd been unwittingly dragged into my feud with Kaguya, so it was my responsibility.

"And you decided to start by freeing Kaguya."

"I didn't expect it to contribute much," Mokou said, "but I couldn't think of anything else. And I'd realized that it was wrong to do what we'd done to her. Before, all I'd done was kill her. What Utsuho and I did, though, not even she deserved. So I got her out, brought her above ground.

"Utsuho showed herself above ground the day after that, so I went to confront her, and Kaguya came, too, even though I didn't want her too."

"That's the fight Nue and Byakuren saw."

"They only saw the end of it, but that Levia woman attacked Utsuho after we went down. But yes, that was that fight. After that, Kaguya and I went to Seafront with Byakuren's group, and..."

* * *

"I must thank you, Nue," Sechs said, "and you as well, Yuugi. I do not think I would have been successful in the final trial were you not present."

"The trial would've been easier if you were alone," Yuugi said, "and you did a hell of a lot in that fight. Don't underestimate yourself."

"I try not to, but I also try not to overestimate myself. And yet, I fear I did exactly that in thinking I could pass the Trials."

"You made it to the last one on your own," Nue said. "And Yuugi's right about how well you fought. I don't think even Reimu could've handled that sort of fire as well as you did. You might actually have been a real threat to her in a danmaku battle."

"You may pay me too much credit. I have heard of what prowess she had in that area."

"The stories tend to exaggerate a bit," Nue said. "It's true that she never lost a danmaku battle, at least as far as I know, but she wasn't quite at the level the tales portray. Quite a few of Gensokyo's more powerful residents gave her a run for her money, myself included. Of course, that was before the witch showed up and they double-teamed me."

"The one known as 'the black-white'?"

"Yeah, her. Almost as skilled at danmaku as Reimu was. Her patterns were generally simpler than Reimu's, however, as she favored the brute force approach. She had enough force to pull it off, though. Anyways, yeah, I think at the very least you'd have probably been Reimu's most challenging opponent."

"I am skilled when it comes to evasion," Sechs said, "but I have not the same level of ability when it comes to offensive danmaku."

"You probably would if it were still in common use."

"Hmm... well, perhaps. We will never know for sure, though. Anyways, you have my thanks for your assistance."

"Don't worry about it," Yuugi said. "We were gonna go in there anyways."

"I thank you regardless."

* * *

"Celestial-types?" Mokou said.

"Yes," Keine said as the two of them walked through the village. "Tenshi was understandably unnerved when she realized it. She went back to heaven after the attack to inform her people."

"And she hasn't been back yet?"

"No. Which is expected. It's been getting harder for her to get away for a while now, and the news of celestial-type Shades can only have made the situation worse. It may be a little while before she can make it down here again."

"Didn't you say they've only been attacked, like, once? Why are they freaking out, anyways?"

"First of all, that attack was in many ways worse for them than any attack on this village was for us, as back then when the Radiance happened, Tenshi and Iku were pretty much the only celestials who were any good in a fight. We've long been used to a world with dangers, but heaven has always been a safe land. Being attacked shook them up significantly."

"Yeah, but they haven't been attacked again, right?"

"No, but the Scrawl has claimed one of them, and will soon claim another. Again they see that their land is not safe from the ills that plague ours."

"And here we are, having to worry about thinks like Shades every day."

"Yeah," Keine said. "Speaking of which, is there any chance you could remain in the village for a while? I told Nue and Yuugi that the village would be fine until tomorrow even without them, and I think it will, but some of the people are worried. Having you around would be reassuring. Could you stay here until they return?"

"Oh, hell yes. Get me the hell away from Kaguya."

"Why are you with her, anyways?"

"Because she won't leave me the hell alone. And starting earlier today, because I need her help."

"You... need her help?"

"I have to fight Utsuho, but I don't want to kill her. I'm not used to fighting for real without going for the kill."

"Ah, so you're training yourself. And you need Kaguya because she won't die when you make mistakes."

"Yeah. But that doesn't mean I have to like being around her. So yes, I'll absolutely stay here for the night. I'll need a place to sleep, though."

"I have room for you."

"I knew you would."

Keine came to a stop. "That's Byakuren's place, right there."

"That one? Larger than I expected."

"It was already there when she and Nue took up residence in it, just... suddenly unoccupied. They do make use of the extra space, taking people in when needed much as they did at the temple. Although that need has been arising much more rarely since the Radiance. One thing that happens when so many people die: there are suddenly a lot more available places to live."

"A 'benefit' we could do without."

"Undeniably," Keine said.

The two of them walked up to the door, and Mokou knocked. A few moments later, Byakuren opened the door. "Ah, Keine. And... Mokou. Hello."

"Are you all right?" Mokou said. "You look... well, not all right."

"Do not... worry yourself. I am fine."

"The pain's fairly bad right now," Keine said, "isn't it?"

"Yes. I... try to hide it, as I do not wish to... worry people, but... I often fail. It should pass soon."

"Well, this'll be quick," Mokou said. She held out the object. "I found this after dealing with a couple Shades in the forest. It looks like the things on that tablet Nue has. I thought I'd drop by and deliver it."

Byakuren took the object. "Nue is... not here right now, but I am sure she... will appreciate it."

"Hey, no problem."

"Mokou's going to stay with me until Nue returns," Keine said. "I thought having someone else of her level of power around would help reassure the villagers."

"I don't think it necessary," Byakuren said, "but I am sure the villagers will appreciate... it."

"It also means you don't have to take action yourself if the pain's too much."

"I appreciate the... gesture, but please, Mokou, do not... feel as though you need to trouble yourself on... my behalf."

"I'd have agreed anyways," Mokou said.

"I see."

"Well," Keine said, "I don't think we have any further business with you, so we'll leave you be."

"I am sorry I was in this condition when you... came."

"It's not your fault," Keine said. "See you, Byakuren."

* * *

After some more searching through Eientei, Kaguya returned to Mokou's house to find it empty.  _She's not back, then. Decided to stay in the village tonight, then. I kind of expected as much. Probably a good thing, too. Keine'll probably say the same things about Mokou's actions that I have, and she's a long-time friend of Mokou's. Maybe she can get through to Mokou. Or make some amount of progress, at least._

Kaguya looked around the house.  _Well, guess I'll make myself at home._

* * *

The night was uneventful.

Nue dreamed of Byakuren, of the days before the Black Scrawl threatened to claim Byakuren's life. A happier time for them, despite the problems brought on by the Radiance. She slept well.

Yuugi dreamed of slaughter, of all the Shades she'd killed and all those she soon would kill. She slept well.

Levia dreamed of the end of the world, the end she'd been born to bring about. The end that was forever lost to her. She slept well, comforted by the scenes of the destruction that was to have been her purpose, even though she knew it was a purpose she could no longer serve.

Kaguya dreamed of Eirin, and of Reisen, and of Tewi, of all the residents of Eientei. Of the strange, twisted location Eientei had become swallowing them up, some never to be seen again. The dreams did not disturb her sleep; she had become used to unpleasant dreams back when she had recently been exiled.

Byakuren dreamed of Ichirin, Murasa, and Shou, her lost companions who had done so much for her. She dreamed of Nazrin and Nue and herself dying, and awoke, partly in fear and partly because the pain had returned. It took her some time to return to sleep, but when she did, her dreams were pleasant ones, fond memories of her long-lost brother.

Mokou dreamed of her time together with Utsuho. Then she dreamed of her father, angry at her for abandoning her vendetta against Kaguya, and of Kaguya, seeking vengeance of her own for her five hundred years trapped within a sun. Then she dreamed of judgment, of being confronted with her sins. Her sleep was fitful.

Keine dreamed of Tenshi. She slept well.

* * *

After their morning meal, Sechs and Fyra took Nue's group to the palace entrance. "You're leaving, then," Sechs said.

"Yeah," Nue said. "I still have three more pieces to find, and I'm sure Yuugi's eager to hunt more Shades."

"I have my gauntlets to pick up from Nitori, too," Yuugi said.

"Farewell, then," Sechs said. "I hope you will gain visit our city. You will always be welcome here."

"I think you can count on seeing me again, at least," Nue said. "Once all this is finished with, I'm going to take Byakuren to the temple."

"So we will see you at that time. I look forward to it."

"Yeah, I'll need to go with you. Unless Yuugi feels like coming with us, but I think we could find time to visit you regardless. So I'll see you then."

"And congratulations on your upcoming marriage," Yuugi said.

"Thanks," Fyra said. "Maybe we'll invite you to the wedding."

"Hopefully I can bring Byakuren then," Nue said. "Thank you for the hospitality."

"You are most welcome," Sechs said. "Farewell."

* * *

"So," Mokou said, "when is Nue getting back?"

Keine, across the table from her, chuckled. "Eager to get back to the forest? I thought you wanted to get away from Kaguya for a while."

"I'd certainly rather not hve to go back to dealing with her, but I can't neglect my training with her. There's no telling when Utsuho's going to show herself again, so I can't afford to waste any time."

"I see."

"I have to do this, Keine. I'm not going to kill her, but I am going to stop her. I want the old Utsuho back."

"I understand," Keine said. "When the time comes to fight her, let me know. I'll stand with you."

"No, Keine," Mokou said. "I'm glad you're willing to, but it's too dangerous. I may be immortal, but you're not."

"I don't think you should fight her alone," Keine said. "I'm aware of how powerful she is."

"I am, too, but the risk to your life is far too high."

"Then you should ask someone else. You said Kaguya wants to fight her, too, and Kaguya is immortal."

"No."

"I don't think you'll succeed on your own, Mokou."

"Then I'll just try again. It doesn't matter how many times I have to try; sooner or later, I will win."

"And you won't accept Kaguya's aid because...?"

"Do I even have to tell you?"

"Well," Keine said, "you said you're not going to pursue your old grudge against her any longer, so that's not the reason. Given your feelings on what you and Utsuho did to her, I'd say the reason you don't want to accept her aid is fairly clear to me. It's not for my benefit I want you to say it, Mokou."

"If you know it so well, then why don't you tell me?"

"Guilt."

The resulting silence was eventually broken by Mokou. "I don't need to hear that from you."

"Because you've already heard it, or because you've realized it yourself? Well, either way, if you don't want me to say any more, then I won't."

"I already get this sort of crap enough from Kaguya. I don't need it from you, too."

"You and I are long-time friends. Kaguya has until recently been your life-long enemy. You could easily dismiss what she says, but hopefully hearing it from someone who you know cares about you will help you realize that there's merit to it. But if you want to hear no more, then that is all I will say."

"Good."

* * *

Yuugi split off from Nue and Levia as they neared the human village, continuing to the mountain to retrieve her new gauntlets from Nitori. Levia went to announce their return to Keine, while Nue went straight home to Byakuren.

Byakuren was seated as Nue came in, but immediately got to her feet. "Nue, welcome back."

"Good to see you, Byakuren," Nue said. "You doing all right?"

"For the moment, yes."

"That's good. Anything happen while I was away?"

"No attacks, if that's what you're asking. Mokou stopped by, though."

"Mokou? Why was she in the village?"

"She still is, actually. Keine asked her to remain until your return in order to help reassure the villagers. But she originally came to deliver something. She had a black object."

"The ones I'm looking for?"

"Most likely, yes. I set it on the table over-wait a minute, where did it go? I set it down right over there."

"It's probably I the tablet already," Nue said. "Unless someone or something has hold of it, the objects are drawn into the tablet when it's close enough." She produced the tablet. "Yes, there's another one on it now."

"So that's five."

Nue returned the tablet to the nether. "Six, once we pick up the one Yuugi has at her home."

"Two left, then. Where is Yuugi? At the tavern?"

"Actually, she's heading to Nitori's. Her gauntlets should be ready, so she's going to pick them up. Levia's here, though. She's letting Keine know we're back."

"I see. Are you going to be leaving again once Yuugi gets back?"

"Not today," Nue said.

"In that case, have a seat and tell me about Facade. I have never had a chance to visit the kappa's new home."

Nue pulled another chair over and sat down. "It's a strange place, though an interesting one. Although it's the Barren Temple that would draw your interest. It was built by the ancient Oni as a final test for new Devas, and they did things with the place that are impossible as far as anyone today knows. To start with, the entire structure is infused."

"Really? Then the ancient Oni knew how to perform infusion on a large scale."

"Yeah, but that's not the crazy part. That much we know to be theoretically possible, even if we can't do it. The crazy part is the level of awareness the place sowed. We knew going in that it had observational capabilities, as each trial is adjusted based on your performance in previous trials. And when we realized it had been infused, we assumed that was what allowed it to make the adjustments. But then I decided to test how much it would let you repeat the same tactic over and over, and..."

* * *

Keine opened the door. "Ah, Levia. You've returned."

"Yes," Levia said.

Mokou got to her feet. "Guess that means I'm done here."

"I was not expecting you to be present. What business brought you here?"

"I found one of the objects Nue's looking for and dropped it off with Byakuren. Keine asked me to stay in the village until you returned in order to help reassure the villagers of their safety."

"And now you are going to attend to other business. Despite your conflicting emotions, you are determined to succeed at whatever your goal may be."

"Don't you start," Mokou said.

"Ah, " Kenie said, "that's right. You have empathic abilities, don't you?"

"Mokou bears the scent of hatred," Levia said, "but-"

"Just shut up already!" Mokou said.

"Very well. You are already aware of your feelings, anyways. You simply have yet to truly accept it."

"Whatever," Mokou said. She pushed past Levia and flew away.

"...Right," Keine said a few moments later.

"You bear the scent of concern," Levia said. "You care about her."

"I do."

"Then I shall tell you this: the hatred Mokou bears is towards herself. She bears regret for past actions, and hatred towards herself for what she did."

"I gathered as much. I've known her for quite some time, after all, even if it's been a while since we spent time together. But I don't think there's anything more I can do to help her."

"Then you and I are in agreement. But do not be too worried; I believe she is beginning to come to the realization of what her emotions truly are."

"As do I. I don't need empathic abilities to know her feelings."

"I see. Well, you now know that we have returned, so I have no further business here. I shall take my leave."

* * *

"Okay," Yuugi said upon entering Nitori's workshop, "just what, exactly, are you working on there?"

"Something for me to use," Nitori said, not bothering to look up. "Don't worry; your gauntlets are done. I finished those before starting on this."

"Decided to go with Mitori, then?"

"Yeah," Nitori said. "Maybe not every time she goes in, but she's right; there's no reason I can't make something that'll let me fight those robots as well as she does. One second... there." She set her tools down. "All right, let me get the gauntlets for you. Let's see... I think I put them over here." She started rummaging through a pile of... well, stuff; Yuugi had no idea what most of it was. "Ah-ha!" Nitori pulled out the gauntlets. "Knew they were in there somewhere."

"Okay, how did you manage to bury those like that when you just finished them?"

"Careful practice." Nitori walked over to Yuugi and handed her the gauntlets. "Here, try them on."

Yuugi did so. "Nice fit. Flexible, too. Probably won't hurt dexterity."

"They've got good shock absorption, too, and they're a lot harder a material to be hit by than even your fists, so they'll make even your punches hit harder. Also, see these? You can slide these spikes down to the front, concentrating the force of impact into their points for maximum penetration. They can be adjusted individually, too, so you can position them differently or only have one or two down at a time instead of all four. The gauntlets also have these extendable blades on the side, if you need to cut something. I know you don't use much magic, but since you infused the gauntlets, they won't interfere with any magic you do use. And, of course, you can place them in the nether, and they will form already on your hands when you call them out."

"Sounds good. Thanks."

"You and Nue rescued my sister. You're not the one who should be saying 'thanks'."

"I'm saying it anyways."

"Fair enough."

"But yeah," Yuugi said, "these are good." She placed them in the nether. "Fine work, Nitori."

"Of course it is. They don't call me the best for nothing."

"Well, I guess I'll head back to the village now. Say 'hi' to Mitori for me."

"Sure thing," Nitori said. "Bye."

* * *

"...left Facade fairly promptly, and returned here."

"You're right," Byakuren said once Nue had finished. "I would like to visit this "Barren Temple'. We should invite Alice and Patchouli along as well."

"Alice might come," Nue said. "She'd be interested in the place's level of awareness. I don't think there's anything that can get Patchouli out of her library, though."

"She is rather reluctant to leave, yes, but if anything could draw her out of the mansion, the level of lost magic you found in that temple is certainly it."

"Yeah, maybe. So, anyways, that's what I've been up to. What about you? You said things were fairly uneventful, right?"

"Indeed," Byakuren said. "Aside from Mokou's visit, the only truly noteworthy thing that happened was Nazrin's return yesterday."

"Oh, she's back? She found Ran?"

"Yes. Well, Chen, actually, but thanks to the shikigami bond, it was effectively the same as finding Ran. She told me about it shortly after telling Mira. According to her, Ran's going to be paying Mira a visit this evening."

"Ran's coming to Mira? Not the other way around?"

"Yes. Apparently, where she and Chen are living now is far enough from here that it would take Mira most of a day to get there, and the same amount of time getting back, far too long for Mira to be away from the shrine. So Ran will be coming to the shrine."

"I see."

"What of you? Are you going to be leaving again?"

"Not today," Nue said.

* * *

That evening saw Mira sitting outside the shrine.  _Pretty uneventful day, really._ _Probably true for the village, too, unless Nue's group decided to do more Shade hunting. Probably not, though. I'd guess Nue chose to spend the rest of the day since her return with Byakuren. Yuugi may have gone Shade hunting, since her goal is more to kill them than to find those objects Nue's looking for, but she's likely back in the village by now, too. Don't know about Levia, but I'd guess she was either in the village somewhere or with Yuugi._ But regardless, Mira's own day had been uneventful.  _So far, at least. Depending on what she has to say, Ran's visit may prove interesting._  Mira was currently sitting outside while eating, so that she could see when Ran arrived.  _And given that I've just sat down for dinner, she'll probably be here right... about... now._  And sure enough, she noticed two figures in the sky approaching.

Mira got to her feet as Ran and Chen landed. "Welcome. Thank you for coming."

"Think nothing of it," Ran said. "You are, after all, the Hakurei maiden. Looking after the barrier is your duty, and as the only person alive who knows more about it that the Hakurei clan, I am more than willing to provide what aid I can. I cannot actually affect the border, as what little manipulation I once could do was only through my bond with Yukari, but her passing does not diminish my knowledge."

"Good," Mira said. "Let's get down to business, then."

"Can we have some food first?" Chen said. "I'm hungry."

"There is food," Mira said, "but business comes first. I am postponing my own meal, as well."

"Be patient, Chen," Ran said. "Nazrin will have told her that we'd want accommodations for the night."

"She mentioned you might be spending the night here, yes," Mira said, "and I do have food prepared, but I am going to insist on speaking about the barrier first."

"Oh, fine," Chen said. "Just try and be quick, all right?"

"I will take as much time as is needed, no more and no less. Now, Ran, how much did Nazrin tell you?"

"She said you felt a change in the barrier," Ran said, "and that you suspected it may be reverting to the state it held prior to Reimu's death."

"That's right."

"Yukari did manage to say before she died that the barrier would likely revert to its prior state eventually, but I do not know when this is to happen. And given that I cannot sense the barrier myself, I'm afraid I cannot say for sure that the reversion is beginning."

"Yes, you can." Mira affixed a paper charm to Ran's chest, and a matching charm to her own. "I'm going to focus on the barrier. The charm should allow you to feel it as well while I'm doing so."

"I see. You're quite well-prepared."

"I'm quite aware that it was only through Yukari that you could sense and affect boundaries. I knew you would not be able to directly sense the barrier. Did you really think I'd ask you to comment on its state without having found some way around this? Now, quiet for a while, please." Mira focused on the barrier for a few moments. "There." She removed both charms. "What did you get?"

"I haven't actually had an opportunity to sense it since Yukari died," Ran said, "so I'm afraid I'm not sure what it's felt like since then, but... well, it is changing, I'm sure of that much. And there did seem to be a sense of reversion."

"So it is returning to its prior state. All right, then. Now for some contingency planning."

"Contingency planning?"

"Yukari had to step in when Reimu died," Mira said, "because there was no other Hakurei able to assume the role of the Hakurei maiden. Yukari's not alive anymore, so there's no backup plan if that happens again. With the state the barrier has been in since then, it would easily have remained stable for some time even without a maiden, but if it's reverting, this cannot be relied on."

"I suppose that's true. I'm not sure what could be done, though."

"Try and think of something. I, meanwhile, will begin to take steps to ensure that the current situation is only temporary, that there will always be a descendant of the Hakurei line available to assume the role of maiden. It's quite simple, really; all I need to do is make sure I have as many descendants as possible." She grabbed what remained of her dinner and began quickly finishing it. "There's food for you two inside, and your rooms are ready. Spend the evening however you want. Just make sure not to disturb me and my guest when I return."

"You're having another guest?" Chen said. "Who?"

"The first willing man. You two make yourselves at home; I'm going to go find someone to get me pregnant."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, short chapter, I know, but I thought these scenes fit better in a separate chapter rather than tacked onto the end and beginning of the previous and next chapters. Besides, the last one was long enough already, and the next one, well, I don't really want too many scenes distracting from the main focus.
> 
> So, anyways, not a lot of action this chapter. Some character development, though. I especially liked the dream bit. I found it a very interesting way to get a look at characters' mindsets, and in just a couple sentences for each character, too. I hope you all found it interesting, too, especially since I may well do it again.
> 
> So Yuugi has her new gauntlets, Nue's spent some time with Byakuren, and Levia's weighed in on the Kaguya/Mokou situation. Oh, and Mira decided to solve the potential-barrier-destabilization problem by having as many kids as she possibly can. So yeah.
> 
> Anyways, next up is the Forest of Myth, which is fun.
> 
> Also, I would like to once again encourage all of my readers to feedback for this and future chapters.


	11. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bizarre letter arrives from the oni village in the Forest of Myth, and Nue has a strange dream that also points her towards the forest, so she, Yuugi, and Levia go to investigate.

  
**Chapter 11  
** _Dreams_   


 

"You are quite dedicated," Levia said as she followed Yuugi into the tavern.

"They deserve it," Yuugi said. "I lost my home and most of my kind to the Shades."

"Yes, your hatred is quite justified. Many would not be quite as dedicated as you, though. Nue may be driven by love and concern rather than hatred, but her drive is every bit as strong as yours, and yet she spent today engaged in activities that made no progress towards her goal."

"Hey, I have to give my new gauntlets a test run. Besides, Nue has someone she loves to spend time with. I don't, so until we have another lead on those black things, I've got plenty of time to kill, and I see no reason not to take that literally."

"When what you are killing is Shades, I suppose I do not see any significant harm in it. Which is likely obvious, given that when you returned to the village and announced your intention to hunt Shades for the rest of the day, I elected to accompany you."

"Yeah, 'cause you didn't have anything better to do, either. Well, hopefully Mamizou or Ari will have a new lead for us by morning. In the meantime, I'm gonna have some food, have some sake, and then get some sleep. Care to join me?"

"I shall not have any sake myself," Levia said, "but I would certainly be willing to dine with you. I do not know where I will spend the night, though."

"You can share my room again."

"I will accept that offer, then."

"Great! Come on, then. That food's not gonna eat itself!"

* * *

"So," Byakuren said, "I assume you'll be heading out again tomorrow?"

"Most likely," Nue said. "I'm hoping either Mamizou or Ari will have a lead by then, but even if they don't, I probably won't just be staying here. I can't do that too often; there's no telling how much time we have."

"Just be careful."

"I will," Nue said. "And if I am going somewhere tomorrow, I'll let you know where."

"I would appreciate that. Well, goodnight, Nue."

"Goodnight," Nue said. They both lay down, and Nue was soon asleep.

…

…

_...I see a girl standing before me. A young oni, her horns not fully grown. She stares at me with hard, glassy eyes._

_Soon her lips being to move, but there is no sound; I can't hear her. I can't hear her. I can't hear her I can't hear her I can't hear I can't hear I can't I can't I can' can't can't can't can't can't I try to leave, but something about her holds my gaze._

_What is she trying to say? What would she tell me but for the lack of sound? Wait. I think I can make something out in the motion of her lips. A 'B'? Yes, it starts with a 'B'. Than an 'l'... I can almost see it now. The letters come faster and faster, falling together._

_B-l-a-c-k K-e-y_

_Black Key? Could that be... could she be referring to the objects I'm collecting? The things I am looking for, the key to saving the woman I love? I stare at her with renewed focus, trying desperately to make out her words._

_D-r-e-a-m_

_Dream? What does that mean?_

_The letters come faster now. I can't follow them. Damn it, I can't make it out! I want to scream, to rip apart the walls, to grab her and Shake her, to make her slow down and tell me what I need to know. But I do not. I know it will not help. I force myself to be calm. It is for Byakuren; I can do this. Slowly, too slowly, I parse out the letters, see her final words._

_F-o-r-e-s-t o-f M-y-t-h._

* * *

_Okay,_  Nue thought to herself upon awakening the next morning,  _what the hell was up with that dream?_

Byakuren was awake as well. "Good morning, Nue. Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough. You?"

"Quite well. No pain during the night."

"Always good to hear," Nue said. "Hopefully you won't have to put up with any pain at all for much longer."

"As much as I don't like you risking yourself the way you are, I have to say that yes, that would be quite a relief. Are you going straight to the tavern?"

"I'll sit with you while I eat, but then yes. I just hope either Mamizou or Ari has a lead."

"Not that you'll keep from your search if they don't."

"True enough."

* * *

Yuugi and Levia descended from their room into the main area of the tavern to find Keine sitting at a table with Mamizou. When she saw Yuugi, Keine stood and walked over to her. "Good morning, Yuugi. And you as well, Levia."

"Mornin'," Yuugi said. "Gotta say, I'm surprised to see you here."

"I think you should know of this," Keine said. "I found a-"

At that moment, Nue entered the tavern. "Hey, Yuugi. Levia. Kei-wait, Keine?"

"Nue," Keine said, "good morning."

Nue walked over to them. "What are you doing here, Keine?"

"She was about to tell us," Yuugi said. "Said it was somethin' I should know about."

"Indeed," Keine said. She reached into a pocket and produced a letter. "I found this outside my door this morning. I don't know when it was delivered, or by who, but it appears as though it was sent by Suika."

"Suika?"

"Well, I recognize her handwriting, but... well, here, read it for yourself."

Yuugi took the letter from Keine and read it, Nue and Levi looking in over her shoulders:

_Hi, Keine. Hope you're doing well._

_I think I should tell you about this. A lot of us here have dream concerns about recent events in the dream village. I could use dream some advice about dream it._

_Recently, we've had dream reports of dream dream a certain dream dream dream dream of dream dream dream dream dream evil dream dream dream dream empty dream curse dream dream dream dream dream evil dream dream dream dream dream dream dream dream dream dream dream dream words dream dream dream dream dream and dreamdreamdreamdreamdreamdreamdreamdreamdreamdream someone dreamdreamdreamdreamdreamdreamdream_

"Okay," Yuugi said, "I'm just gonna say this: what the fuck?"

"I have not seen a letter before," Levia said, "but even so, I believe that this one is highly irregular."

"You've got that right," Yuugi said, handing the letter back to Keine. "It's certainly Suika's writing, but... well, I think it's pretty clear what's bizarre about this."

"Yes," Nue said. "Um... there may be something else relevant. I had a very strange dream last night. I thought it was just an odd dream, but now I'm not so sure."

"A dream?"

"Yeah. There was a young girl, an oni. Her lips were moving, but there was no sound. As this went on, I became able to make out her words by carefully looking at the movement of her lips. The first thing she said was 'black key', then 'dream', then 'Forest of Myth'."

"You're right," Keine said. "That may well be related."

"It'd be one hell of a coincidence if it's not," Yuugi said. "Dreams and the forest. What's a 'black key', though? You think it's the things we've been looking for, Nue?"

"That did occur to me," Nue said, "and we do know that one of them is there."

"Yeah, at my place. Although I don't see how it'd be related to... well, to whatever this is about."

"Seems unlikely there'd be a second one there, but, well, I suppose it's worth a look. And I'd also like to know why it was me specifically who had the dream. I suppose that would make sense if the black objects are connected, but either way, I want to find out."

"So we're going, then?"

"We're going. Although you would've gone even if nobody else did."

"You're right about that," Yuugi said. "Glad you're along, though. Come on, let's get moving."

* * *

"Going into Eientei again?" Mokou said.

"Of course," Kaguya said. "You know the plan. Eientei in the morning, training in the afternoon. You coming with me today?"

"No."

"All right, then."  _Maybe she has things to think about. Probably a good sign. Maybe someone's started to get through to her after all._  "I'll meet you back here when I'm done. Bye."

* * *

The trip to the Forest of Myth was uneventful. Upon entering the oni village, however, it was very clear that something was wrong.

"I see a lot of people sitting or lying down," Nue said, "but none of them are moving, and I'm not seeing anyone else."

They approached the nearest oni, sitting on a stump in front of a house. "Masaka," Yuugi said, "can you hear me?" No reply. "Masaka?"

"She may be asleep," Levia said. "What I sense from her is similar to what I sense from those who are asleep, although there is a difference that I cannot quite place. She is likely asleep, but it is not ordinary sleep."

The oni, Masaka, began muttering something in her sleep. "Be... ware... the... words..."

"...Right," Yuugi said. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Masaka's muttering continued. "Con... ta... gious... words... Those... who... dream..."

[BGM = www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4QNSqnbfeI]

"Those who dream?"

" _Wait. I'm feeling... something. Some sort of sensation in my mind." Nue's voice rose in a quizzical way. "What? No it didn't. Hold on, what the hell is going on here?"_

_Perhaps we should begin by questioning this woman." Levia directed the attention of the other two towards Masaka, whose eyes were now open. She was looking not at them, however, but just staring off into space. Yuugi got her attention by waving her hand in front of Masaka's face._

_Masaka, now aware of their presence, looked the three of them over._  " _Who... who are you?"_

_"You don't recognize me?" Yuugi said._

" _You know not how this place works, Yuugi. Before your name was given, I knew not that it was you. Only now can I see that it is."_

" _What the hell are you talking about?"_

" _That is how the dream works. And since I am talking to you, it is quite clear that you are caught in the dream."_

" _You're not making much sense."_

" _Then I shall elaborate." And she did._

_In the past weeks, a disease called the Deathdream spread throughout the oni village, those who caught it falling asleep, trapped within their dreams. Just as it was determined that the disease spread through spoken words, the last few villagers fell asleep._

" _Hold on," Yuugi said, "so you're saying we've been caught in your dream?"_

" _Well, yes."_

" _We didn't even go to sleep. How are we dreaming?"_

" _That's just how the Deathdream works. You hear the disease's words, and you're in the dream. The words are everything here. I'm sure you've noticed them. You see them, but at the same time it's as though you do not. You hear them, but at the same time it's as though you do not. You see only what the words say."_

" _Um..."_

" _Allow me to demonstrate." She pointed. "Yuugi, just keep looking at me. You other two, look over there."_

" _What are we looking for?" Nue asked as she and Levia did so._

" _Nue and Levia, is it?"_

" _Wait, how did you know our names?"_

" _Because the words said them. You saw the words, right?"_

" _Strangely enough, yes, I did. Or at least I_ think  _I did."_

" _By having you two look, the dream revealed your names as it narrated your doing so. Perhaps it did so before I was aware of your presence here, as well, but as I was not aware of your presence, neither was I aware of the narration of it. Yuugi, you look now, too." Yuugi did so. "Now look beyond. We are in the village. The dream needs not to tell us so, for it is where we already are. You entered the dream from the village, so you were already here. But look beyond the village, and you will see very little. A forest, yes, because it's known that we're in a forest, but it's a generic one. It's simply a collection of trees. You see none of the specific details of this specific forest."_

" _She speaks true," Levia said._

" _The words brought you here. But which words? Think, you three. You must have heard something. What were the words?"_

_The three of them thought hard, but there was no easy answer. There were simply too many words to consider. Too much random chatter, too many meaningless conversations._

" _I do not take part in meaningless conversations." The suggestion that Levia chose her words carelessly seemed a blow to her pride. "No, it is not. I was simply providing a correction."_

" _Focus," Nue said. "We need to think."_

" _No, we don't," Yuugi said. "Why the hell are we even having to think about this at all? We didn't have the Deathdream until now, so it couldn't have been anything we said. It has to be some part of what Masaka said in her sleep, and she only spoke a total of eight words! Why are we treating this like some big question?" Despite her words, however, she knew it to be a difficult mystery to solve. "No, it's not! In fact, I'm pretty sure I've already figured it out!" But she had not. "Yes, I have! The contagious words are probably-" Yuugi took a step forward as she spoke- "I did not!" -she stepped forward, tripped, and fell flat on her face._

" _It appears we are to think on this more," Masaka said._

_Yuugi climbed to her feet, her displeasure easy to see. "This is bullshit. I already know what put us in this dream, so why the hell can't I say it?"_

" _Wait," Nue exclaimed, "that's it! 'Dream'! It was 'Those who dream'! That's the last thing we heard before falling asleep!"_

" _Oh, come on! Why the hell are you allowed to say it? This is bullshit!" Yuugi screamed up at the sky. "No, I'm yelling at_ you _!"_

" _Yuugi," Nue said, "please stop arguing with the narration. I don't think it's getting us anywhere."_

_Masaka, meanwhile, was going through a stack of papers. "Yes, 'those who dream'. I think you're correct. That's one of the likely phrases my research has come up with."_

" _Research?"_

" _I'm stuck in this dream. I might as well try to learn about it."_

" _Though I certainly applaud the dedication it takes to research a disease in your sleep, perhaps your efforts would be better spent trying to find a way out of the dream."_

_Masaka merely let out a sigh. "I've tried to find a way out, but there isn't one. I mean, I would know, wouldn't I? Since it's my dream."_

" _You should not assume that," Levia said, but Masaka simply brushed aside the remark. "Not a wise decision. What I have to say is of value to you."_

" _Then say it," Masaka said, though she in no way meant to actually pay attention. "Well, shit."_

" _Yes, do remember that this place allows us to view its narration."_

" _Fine, I'll listen. There's no way you, having just come into the dream, would know more about it that I, but I'll let you say whatever you have to say anyways."_

" _What I have to say is simple: you claim that you would know of what is within your dream. Have you forgotten that this is not, in fact, your dream, but the Deathdream?"_

" _The Deathdream caused it, but it is still mine."_

" _Then how is it that we are here with you?"_

" _Because you got caught in... my..."_

" _If we are asleep as well, then this is not just your dream. Do not presume you know everything within it."_

" _I... think you're right. Oh, god, I think you're right! I might be able to get out of here after all!"_

" _I certainly have no desire to remain here. I will go to seek out an exit. Nue, Yuugi, I assume you will come with me." They both nodded._

" _All of you will go? It's been so long since I've spoken to anyone else. I was hoping one of you could remain here with me."_

_Nue looked at Masaka, then nodded. "Wait, no I didn't." "I'll remain with you." "Hold on! I did NOT say that!"_

_Yuugi laughed. "Who's arguing with the narration now?"_

" _Narration is one thing, but now this place is putting words in my mouth." "I'm willing to stay, though, Masaka." "No, I'm not! Stop making me say that!"_

" _It matters not," Masaka said. "I think I'd rather come with you. Not that I don't appreciate the offer, even if you did make it against her will." She got to her feet. "Shall we go?" Then she immediately sat back down, choosing instead not to go. "Never mind. It would seem I'll be staying here."_

" _Then what was the point of that entire conversation?" Yuugi said. "It's like this place is screwing with us for its own amusement."_

" _I get that feeling myself at times," Masaka said. "In fact, I don't have any desire at all to have one of you remain here, but this place made my say I did."_

" _You took it a lot more calmly than Nue."_

" _I'm used to it. Now go, before anything else happens."_

" _Sure, but where? I'd rather not just hunt randomly. Who knows how long that could take?"_

" _I do not know, of course. I don't suppose any of you can think of anything that might provide a clue? Anything I or another may have muttered in our sleep? Some word or words?"_

" _A sheep?!" Nue cried, simply blurting out the first thing that came to mind._

_The other three just looked at her. "Excuse me?" Yuugi said._

" _I have no idea why I said that."_

" _Because the words made you," Masaka said. "Now, do you have any clues?" The three of them thought, but came up with nothing. "Ah. Well, then, I guess you'll just have to pick a direction and go."_

" _Unfortunate," Levia said, "but it appears we have no-" Her words cut off as she felt something. Some sensation, some momentary pulse that faded as suddenly as it came._

" _A pulse," Masaka said. "Perhaps that is the way you should go, towards it. Can you tell what direction it came from?"_

" _I can. Nue, Yuugi, let us go."_

_Masaka watched as the three of them set off into the forest._ Strange. Yuugi's the only one of them I know, and yet I feel as though I've seen that 'Nue' woman before. But where?

_..._

[BGM = www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-tASTKrNYY]

_They walked through the forest._

_They continued walking._

_They kept going._

_They kept on walking through the forest._

" _Okay, already!" Yuugi said. "We get it! Damn, how long is this going to take? Why does this place have to be so goddamn big? And why the hell aren't we flying? Even going slow enough to be safe in this forest, It's be a hell of a lot faster. Not to mention less tiring."_

" _Right," Nue said, "like this is tiring you out. Maybe a human would have difficulty walking for so long, but not any of us."_

" _Still a pain in the ass. Why can't we just fly?"_

" _I guess because the words say we're walking."_

" _I hate this place. Why the hell won't it let us go faster? Hell, we don't even know if we're going the right way! And the odds are that we aren't."_

" _We just have to hope we made the right choice, I guess." Although in the end, it mattered not which way they chose; that which they sought would find them regardless. "Good to know. Although I'm not sure how an exit is going to find us."_

" _What I want to know" Yuugi said, "is why we had that conversation at all when, thanks to Levia, we already know we're likely on the right track. And that kind of thing isn't the only thing that's bullshit about this place. I mean, all I can see are generic trees, and all just because the damn words haven't bothered to describe anything! That's just dumb." Little could be seen, though. The ever-present mist restricted visibility significantly. "And it responds by giving us mist to deal with. Now I_ know  _this place is just screwing with us."_

_Moss-covered rocks littered the ground, strewn around as though by a child and easy to trip over, thanks to the poor visibility. Vines wrapped around the trees like they were trying to strangle them. Others hung down from branches or stretched between two trees, providing an additional hazard."Really? Vines? Come on. This is a forest, not a jungle, for shit's sake." Yuugi, with her constant complaining, was proving to be an incredibly poor traveling companion. "Oh, shut up."_

" _I don't think the complaining is helping much, though," Nue said._

" _Yeah? Well, I don't care. To hell with this place."_

_At that moment, a cacophony if insects sprang to life, as though the forest was infuriated with her lack of respect. The sounds blended together at a volume that was almost unbearable. "Damn it," Yuugi said, "what now?" But she might as well have been shouting in a tornado. Her words were inaudible, and though the could see their mouths moving, no sound had a chance of making it through the noise. And then, suddenly, the volume dropped, still not at all quiet but no longer drowning out all other sounds. "Apparently this place has a vengeful side."_

_Nue, now that the noise was down to a bearable level, listened closely._

Zree! Zree! Zree! Zree!  
Shak-k-k-k! Shak-k-k-k! Shak-k-k-k!  
Chk-chk-chee! Chk-chk-chee! Chk-chk-chee!  
Woo-woo-wooma! Woo-woo-wooma!  
Shik shik seeek! Shik shik! Shik Shik seeek!

" _I don't think that was in response to you. There's a pattern of some sort to the noise."_

" _I can also hear it," Levia said, "though I am not sure what it means."_

_Nue listened more closely._ Yes, this certainly isn't just random noise. It's... something else.

[BGM = www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh-gSBrenVQ]

_The insects weren't just making noise; they were asking a question._

One with it suffers. Two with it is ideal.  
Three with it is dangerous. What is it?

" _Okay," Yuugi said, "I'm just gonna come right out and say it: what the fuck?"_

" _It appears as though the forest is asking us a question," Levia said._

" _Yeah," Nue said. "A riddle. And an easy one, too."_

" _I was more referring to how we're hearing anything in this random noise. There aren't any words, any patterns, anything. I can only hear the riddle within it because the words say it's there."_

" _Let us answer the riddle," Levia said._

One with it suffers. Two with it is ideal.  
Three with it is dangerous. What is it?

"The answer is...a secret."  
"The answer is...a woman."  
"...How the hell should I know!?"

" _Right," Yuugi said. "I should have saved my 'what the fuck?' for this._ Why _is it giving us a list? It's not like we have to point at the right answer or something. We can just say it."_

" _Then I'll do just that," Nue said. She stepped forward, facing further into the forest as she spoke. "The answer is... a secret."_

[BGM = www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-tASTKrNYY]

_The noise stopped as suddenly as it began, and the forest undergrowth parted before the trio. "Looks like I'm right."_

" _I would say this is crazy, but compared to everything else, the forest making us a path actually seems completely sane. Of course, there's no guarantee we actually want to go down it."_

" _It's better than wandering around aimlessly. Besides, the narration did say that the exit would find us, and_ something _certainly just found us."_

" _I am in agreement with Nue. Let us follow this path."_

" _Yeah, I guess I think it's the right idea, too. That doesn't necessarily mean it is, though. So let's be careful."_

" _Agreed."_

_They continued through the forest, eventually coming to a river. "Are we going to have to swim, or is this stupid place actually going to let us fly over?" Nue picked up a rock and skipped it across the water. "And why are you doing that?"_

" _I don't know."_

_Their attention turned to the rock as it first skipped off the water, as upon doing so, a musical note rang out through the area. Each time the rock struck the water, a new note sounded. Once the rock ceased skipping, the ripples from its impacts ran together, forming words in the water._

[BGM = www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZhlBiSWAfs]

I enter through the window, but I break no glass.  
When night falls, I vanish. What am I?

" _Another riddle," Nue said. "And another easy one, at that."_

" _Just answer it, then. You don't have to tell us how easy it is; just say the answer."_

" _I tried to."_

" _...I hate this place."_

I enter through the window, but I break no glass.  
When night falls, I vanish. What am I?

"A bird!"  
"A letter!"  
"Sunlight!"

_Nue stepped forward again. "Sunlight!"_

" _I see something over there," Levia said, pointing. The other two looked, spying a small cottage amongst the trees. "I do not believe it was there previously."_

" _Then let's go take a look."_

_They walked over, and Yuugi knocked on the door. It soon opened, revealing a woman concealed in a black cloak, her face obscured by mist. Before any of the trio could say anything, she began to speak._

I have four legs in the morning and two at noon, but I end  
the night with three. What am I?

" _One more riddle, then," Nue said. "And not exactly a hard one."_

I have four legs in the morning and two at noon, but I end  
the night with three. What am I?

"A man."  
"A demon."  
"An angel."

" _A man."_

[BGM = www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-tASTKrNYY]

_The woman threw aside her cloak, and the mist obscuring her face cleared, revealing her identity. "Wait," Yuugi said, "Masaka?"_

_The woman shook her head. "No. Or at least, not the Masaka you know." She faced Nue. "Listen to my words. Long ago, I saw a version of you that was not yourself."_

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _You will understand eventually, For now, just know that I congratulate you for breaking the seal on the Deathdream. Return to Masaka now." She closed the door, and mist rose up around the cottage, enveloping it. The mist then cleared, but the cottage was nowhere to be seen._

_..._

_They flew carefully through the forest. "About damn time."_

_They soon made it back to the village, and immediately sought out Masaka, who stood as the three landed. "You're back!"_

" _Don't get too exited," Yuugi said. "You don't even know if we were successful."_

" _I'm just glad you're all right!"_

" _This place is making you say that, isn't it?"_

" _Yeah. I didn't know if you'd succeed, but in no way did I expect you to come to any harm. So, how did it go?"_

" _We broke the seal, I think," Nue said, and proceeded to describe what had transpired._

" _'A version of you that was not yourself'? What is that supposed to mean? And why did this... person, or whatever, look like me, anyways?"_

" _You know more about this place than we do. I think you're the best able to figure that one out."_

" _Hmm... this may sound strange, but-"_

" _Masaka," Yuugi cut in, "after all this, I don't think I'll find anything else strange ever again."_

" _Maybe. Anyways, Nue, as you were leaving, I got the feeling that I'd seen you before."_

" _You probably have," Nue said. "I've been all over the place in my life. Wouldn't surprise me if you've seen me before, even if we haven't actually met."_

" _I don't know if that's it. I was certain I had never seen you before, but I can't shake this sense of... familiarity. At first, I thought it was just the dream being its usual self, but the feeling has persisted. I'm not sure if there's anything to it, or if I have that sense even now only because the dream said I did."_

_With that said, the four of them laid down on the ground to sleep. "Okay, hold it! Why the hell would we just go to sleep? That doesn't make any sense!"_

" _I would think that by now you have learned that it is futile to fight against the words. If the words say we shall sleep, then we shall sleep."_

" _It's strange," Masaka said. "This is the... first time... I've felt tired... since the dream... took..." Her words were cut off as she and the others fell asleep._

_..._

...

[End BGM]

"Okay," Yuugi said as she and the others awoke, freed from the dream, "I know I've said it before, but: what the  _hell_  was that?"

The four of them all got to their feet. "We are out," Masaka said. "Excellent. Hopefully, everyone else is waking up now what is this?"

Nue immediately recognized the object that appeared in front of them. "That's one of the pieces we're looking for! Was it caught in the dream, too?"

"How would that work?" Yuugi said.

"I don't know, but there's no way it's a coincidence that the object appeared just as we woke up. There's some connection to the dream, clearly."  _I wonder if that's why I had that dream last night. Maybe the dream somehow reached me briefly because this piece was part of it and I had five of the other pieces. Or maybe not. I may never know._

Only Masaka was surprised when the object vanished. "What?"

"It was drawn to the tablet," Nue said, producing said tablet from the nether. "Yes, see? There it is."

"Looks like the one I had at home got drawn in, too," Yuugi said. "That's two at once."

"Which makes seven. Only one more, then."

"I don't know what those are," Masaka said, "but if you're looking for all of them, then I wish you luck. And let me know if I can help." She looked around the village, seeing others awakening from their own dreams. "Let any of us know. You've done us quite a service, you know. Maybe you came for your own reasons, but we still owe you, so please, if we can help you at all, let us know."

"If I need your aid," Nue said, "then I shall do just that. Yuugi, is there anything else you want to do while we're here?"

"Maybe say hi to a few people, check on my place, that sort of thing. You don't need to stay with me, though."

"I think I will anyways. Levia?"

"I shall also remain."

"Right," Yuugi said. "Come on, then, I'll show you around."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was fun.
> 
> Right, so I should probably explain. In NieR, when you go to the Forest of Myth, you soon find yourself drawn into the Deathdream. While in the Deathdream, the game briefly turns from a hack-and-slash-y game into a text adventure. Yes. A goddamn _text adventure_. And in that text adventure, it is soon made apparent that the characters are indeed aware of the narration, just as Nue and the others were here. I did do things a bit differently, though. See, part of the... effect of the sequence in NieR stems from the sudden change to text, but since this story is all text, the impact there is lessened. So I played up the fourth-wall breaking to a much greater extent in order to compensate for this. I did the same basic sequence from NieR (the introduction in the village, the trek through the forest, the riddles, then back to the village), though; I just added more fourth-wall-breaking.
> 
> Yeah, I may have enjoyed that a little too much. Not that it was easy; in fact, this chapter was easily the hardest one I've ever written, even with a script of the scene from NieR to use as a guide. That's one of the reasons this chapter is so short, the other being that I didn't want to include any more other scenes than absolutely necessary; I wanted the focus to be squarely on the Deathdream. As a result, the next chapter is much longer.
> 
> Anyways, I definitely encourage reviews, even more so than usual given the... unusual-ness of this particular chapter. Please, all of you reading this, tell me what you think.


	12. Above and Below

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Utsuho finally emerges from the underground, and Mokou and Kaguya go to confront her. Meanwhile, Nue's group is called to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to assist in removing a Shade presence in the library. And back in the village, Keine receives some unpleasant news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I don't know how many of you have been listing to the BGM tracks I've been providing, but to those of you who haven't: LISTEN TO THE BGMS FOR THIS CHAPTER. Or at least the first of them.

* * *

 

**Chapter 12  
** _Above and Below_

 

Ran and Chen had left fairly promptly in the morning, but not before Mira'd had a chance to speak to them. "I'll be calling on your aid when I'm with child," she'd said, "as it will make performing many of my duties more difficult. I expect I'll be able to handle the shrine itself, but my other duties, not so much."

"Yes, it likely would be best to stay away from combat while pregnant, even without the potential for hindering your performance."

"And then I'll have a child to raise. And that child will be far from my only. I may need your aid for a significant period."

"I told you I would aid you as I could," Ran said, "and I meant it. You know where to find us now; send word when the time comes."

That had been in the morning; it was now later in the afternoon, and Mira was once again in the village. As had been the case the day before, she had one fairly simple objective. She was hoping to accomplish it without running into the one she'd taken back to the shrine yesterday, but unfortunately, he was there when she arrived in the main market, and he approached her as soon as he saw her. "Well, hi, Mira."

"Koro."

"What brings you here today?"

"The same thing that brought me here yesterday evening."

"Oh, indeed? I'm glad to hear it. I have some business to take care of, but-"

"You can stop there," Mira said, "because I have no intention of choosing you again."

"E-excuse me?"

Mira sighed. "I told you yesterday, Koro. There is not, nor will there ever be, anything between us. I have no intention of pursuing a relationship with you or anyone else. I am interested only in bringing forth children. And I specifically said that I would be choosing someone different every night."

"I thought-"

"That I was just saying that? That I would treat you differently? That I would be taken with you? It didn't take long at all for me to see the extent of your ego. The assumption that I would change my mind and 'choose' you is something I knew you would have. I was hoping I wouldn't see you today so that I could avoid having this conversation. But you're here, so I will tell you this: you mean _nothing_ to me. You never will mean anything to me. As I told you yesterday, the only reason for last night was that the future of the Hakurei bloodline must be secured."

"So, what, you don't care who your kid's father is? You're telling me you'd be okay about raising a kid with some random person? Because I don't believe you. I don't think you'd want to have a kid with me if you didn't see anything in me."

"I won't be having a kid 'with you', even if it is from you that I have one. I will not even know for sure from who I have any children. And it matters not, for they will not be the children of two people; they will be children of the Hakurei clan. That will be who they are, will be _what_ they are. And you, Koro, will have absolutely nothing to do with any of them, even if I do have a child from you."

"But-"

"I told you all of this yesterday. If you failed to realize that I meant every word of it, that is your problem. Now, please leave me to my business." Mira walked away, leaving Koro stammering, and resumed her search for another willing man.

* * *

"You're leavin' again, huh?"

Yuugi, accompanied by Nue and Levia, had visited a few people and they'd also checked on Yuugi's house. Their last stop was Suika's.

"Yes," Yuugi said. "I came back to help deal with the situation here, but now that it's been resolved, I'm going back to hunting Shades."

"Well, try to stop by here sooner this time, okay? Or, wait, better idea: I'll come to you. You're stayin' in the human village, right?"

Yuugi nodded. "I'm staying there while I'm helping Nue."

"Yeah, I kinda thought so. I'll stop by sometime soon. You make a better drinking partner than almost anyone else, and it's been a while since I've been there, anyways."

"I look forward to it. I'll see you then, Suika."

"Bye!"

* * *

Kaguya got to her feet as soon as she had both of them again. "A little overenthusiastic there, I think. Unless you want Utsuho down to one leg, of course."

"That cut would not have carried all the way through against her. She is, as I've mentioned before, significantly more durable than either of us, and her capability to recover is high. To her, that strike would have had no long-term effects."

"I know she can take more than me, but even she has her limits. Although I guess you would know them better than me."

"Indeed." Mokou returned her sword to the nether. "I think that's enough for today. We'll resume after tomorrow's Eientei investigation."

"Very well," Kaguya said.

"That was quite impressive."

The two of them turned to face the speaker. "Kagerou," Mokou said. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. Especially not today. I thought you didn't like being out when the moon is full."

"I don't, but the change only happens at night. I was on my way home when I heard your battle, and I got curious, so I came to have a look."

"I see."

"It is starting to get late, though, so I think I will continue home."

"...That was random," Kaguya said as Kagerou left.

"Who cares? I'm heading home. I assume you'll be coming with me."

"Indeed. Lead the way."

* * *

"It sounds like you had an... interesting experience," Byakuren said. Nue had returned, and had just finished telling Byakuren of the day's events.

"That's one way to put it. I think Yuugi, though, prefers something a bit more... explicit."

"What would cause something like this 'Deathdream', though? It's clearly no ordinary illness."

"We don't really know, but there's a possibility that one of the black objects had something to do with it. It appeared once we awoke."

"Hm... well, we do know little about them, but if one of them caused it, I would expect you to have felt effects from the ones you've been gathering."

"It may still have been part of the reason, though."

"Perhaps."

"Anything happen while we were away?"

"No," Byakuren said. "Today has been uneventful. About the most interesting thing that happened her was Sakuya visiting the village." This was infrequent, but far from unheard of; the Scarlet Devil Mansion was largely self-sufficient, but occasionally something from elsewhere was needed. Thus, Sakuya was sometimes seen in the village on a supply run. "Also, Keine came by briefly, as she often does around this time."

"Right, it's the full moon tonight, isn't it?"

"Yes. She often feels somewhat guilty around this time."

"There's nothing she can do about all this, and she knows it."

"True, but hearing someone else say it can be helpful."

"I suppose that's true enough," Nue said.

* * *

_Keine may not have to hide what she is anymore, but she does still have something to hide. Very few know of the ability that comes with her change on nights of the full moon. Mokou knows, and Tenshi, of course, also knows, as do Byakuren and I. Ari knows, and Nazrin. Mira knows, as well. But I don't think anyone else does._

_Along with Keine's transformation comes the ability to alter history. Were this to become known, she fears she would become the most hated person in the village, and she is likely right. The people would demand to know why she hasn't changed history to prevent the Radiance from occurring, and though some would understand why she cannot do such a thing, most, I fear, would not._

_It's easy to think that Keine's ability allows her to change whatever she wants, but this is not the case, as the ability does, of course, have several limitations. The first and most significant of these is that Keine cannot simply make a blanket change. She can only alter specific occurrences. Any occurrence can be altered, no matter how large or small, how significant or insignificant, but it has to be a specific occurrence. She can's, for example, say that a thief has never actually stolen anything, but if she knows of a specific theft, she can change that. Or, if there is a specific event that led to the thief becoming a thief, she can change that. But whatever the event, in order to change it, she must know of it. That's the next limitation. Simply knowing that a specific event happened is not enough; Keine must know what happened, where it happened, and when it happened. Those two limitations are why Keine cannot change history such that the Radiance didn't happen. She can't just say that it didn't happen; she would have to change the event or series of events that caused it. And nobody knows what those are. But even if Keine did know the events that caused it enough to change them, she probably still would not do so._

_Keine can change history, yes, but she cannot directly control what comes of her changes. She can precisely alter an event, but what effects it has are beyond her control. Say, for example, that a man was killed. If Keine knows this event well enough to change it, she can. She could make it so the killer decided at the last minute not to kill, or can make it that the attempt to kill simply failed. That one change could potentially have significant effects. Perhaps the murdered man was himself a killer, and once he isn't killed, he has the opportunity to kill more people. Those people, who lived originally, would die because of Keine's change. Anything they would go on to do, they no longer would have the chance to. Any children they would have had would not have a chance to be born. Nor would their children's children, or their children's children's children, and so on. Many people would no longer have existed, and anything those people would have done they would not have the opportunity to. There would be other people to take on their roles, yes-it matters little precisely who grows the crops, so long as they are grown-but they would not be the same people. Perhaps the differences would be minor, but even minor differences can, in great enough numbers or over enough time, have major effects. And those effects are essentially impossible to predict. That is why Keine does not change history even where she can._

_Now, it's not true that Keine never changes history, as there is one thing she does change: her own year of birth. Every year, she moves it forward one year. She used to do this to hide the fact that as a half-beast, she would age far more slowly than humans. She doesn't have to hide than any longer, but she still makes that change every year, as it allows her to maintain her youth. And, of course, ensures that she will never die of old age. Such a change is minor enough that it takes effect despite a significant discrepancy; specifically, the fact that her altered year of birth is now far after her parents' death. She can get away with it because of how minor a change it is, and because the change is localized to her. Aside from that, however, she does not change history, and likely would not even do so to prevent the Radiance. The effects of preventing such a major event would be extreme, and although the result may well be an improvement, the 'what if's leading to negative results are what Keine would focus on._

_Even given these unknowns, one might think Keine could simply reverse the change if the results were undesirable. And theoretically, she could, but there's somewhat more to it than that. For one, there's no guarantee that she'd still be alive; the new course of history may be one in which she dies at some point, and if that was the case, it would carry over to her, and she would no longer be alive. Or, if the change was before she was born, she may never have existed at all. Her mind remains the same after a change-she does gain whatever knowledge her new self would have, such as knowledge of what the new course of history actually was, but she retains her current self and knowledge, making her the only one who knows a change was made-but her body becomes whatever it would be in the new timeline, whether injured, dead, or otherwise._

_In addition to this, reversing a change is not so simple. In order to return history to its additional course, the changed event must be restored to exactly how it originally transpired, or there's no guarantee history's course will return to precisely what it was before, and she usually does not know that level of detail about an event. She doesn't need that level of knowledge in order to change an event, and that level is almost impossible to attain-even if she was there, she likely wouldn't remember it perfectly. Even when she alters an event, she doesn't have to fill in all the details; she simply changes the important parts, and history fills in the rest._

_That is why Keine does not change history. In the case of the Radiance, it's a moot point anyways, but many people would likely not understand this. Byakuren, of course, is rather more optimistic about people's likely reactions, but I think Keine is more correct in this case. Regardless, it's what she believes, and that is why even though she doesn't hide the fact that she's a half-beast any longer, she does hide the ability this condition gives her._

* * *

The evening was uneventful, as was the night. The next morning saw Nue, Yuugi, and Levia paying a visit to Ari in hopes of more information, as Mamizou had no leads for them.

"Nue, Yuugi, Levia, welcome," Ari said, leading the three into their house. The four took sets around Ari's worktable, which, as before, had various books and papers strewn around.

"We're out of leads again," Nue said. "Do you have any?"

"Not about the black fragments. How many do you have left to find?"

"Just one."

"You're making significant progress, then. If these fragments are important to the Shades, they may be taking measures to protect the final one."

"Taking measures? Are they capable of that kind of thought?"

"There've been a few signs," Yuugi said. "The coordinated attack they made on the village while you were in Seafront, for one."

"Mokou's seen coordination among them as well," Ari said, "according to Keine. Mokou told Keine what she'd been up to, and Keine shared a few things with me, including the fact that Mokou and Kaguya encountered a group of Shades in the forest that waited for reinforcements before attacking."

"So they may be actively hiding it from us," Nue said. "Great. Any idea where to start looking?"

"Not as such, but I may have some clues. Look at this." Ari showed Nue and the others a page of notes she'd taken. "I usually don't bother to take notes, but all this stuff came from different sources. It's just fragments, nothing that's exactly clear, but it was enough for me to infer this design." She indicated a sketch she'd made of a pentagonal object. Or a frame, more accurately; the middle of the object was not filled in. It was like a ring, which Ari's notes estimated to be a few inches wide, but in the shape of a pentagon rather than that of a circle.

"What is it?"

"I believe it's a key. Or, rather, that a key goes in it. There's a depression in the middle, going all the way around. One that's divided into five parts."

"I may be jumping ahead here," Yuugi said, "but _please_ tell me you aren't saying we have to go on a second scavenger hunt."

"If you were to use the key, yes, but there's no knowing where the five pieces are. What I can tell you is that the key is related to the Shades. And I think they have the pieces, although I have no idea where. If they are taking measures to secure the final black fragment, then they most likely have it at wherever the key is required to gain access to. You need the black fragments because you believe them to have a function related to the Shades and/or the Black Scrawl, an unknown function, a function that cannot be accomplished otherwise. But the key is different. A key has one and only one function: to open a lock. The only thing you need to find is the location of this lock."

"And we'll need the key to open it."

"Or you can use the direct approach," Ari said. "If the lock barring your way is physical, break through it. If it's magical, find a magician capable of dispelling it. If it's a combination of physical and magical, then do both. You, Yuugi, are well suited to breaking through a physical barrier, and as for magical locks, Byakuren is one of the greatest magicians to have ever lived, and to my knowledge the single greatest one that still does. I doubt any magical lock you encounter would be beyond her abilities. I expect that if you can locate the lock, you will find little difficulty in breaking it."

"And if I can't break it," Yuugi said, "Suika almost certainly can. There's not much she can't break, thanks to the whole going giant thing. So we don't need the key. We just force out way through this lock. I like it."

"We need to find it first," Nue said. "Any leads, Ari?"

"Not yet, but I feel certain the information is here. The more I look, the more I find that I had no knowledge of. They're just fragments, bits and pieces, but they are there, and the more I look, the more I find. I don't know where they came from or why they're within my records, but I intend to keep looking until I find answers. This may take some time, though."

"I'm not just going to sit around waiting for who knows how long," Nue said.

"I expected as much. Your best option, then, is simply to travel around Gensokyo. If the eighth piece has not been secured, you may find it, but even if it has been, by searching throughout Gensokyo, you may just find something yourself that leads you to the lock."

"There are still areas we haven't been to," Nue said, "some of which have very little habitation-Muenzuka, for instance, or the Nameless Hill. Today, though, I think I'm going to stay in the village with Byakuren."

"Then I guess it's Shade hunting for me," Yuugi said. "There may not have been any new reports of unusual Shade activity, but there are always some of the things around. Levia?"

"I believe I will accompany you, Yuugi."

"You do your things, then," Ari said. "When I find something, I'll let you know."

* * *

It was another uneventful day.

Mokou and Kaguya, as they had been, spend the morning in Eientei and the afternoon training. The issue of Mokou needing aid against Utsuho came up, but as usual, Mokou paid Kaguya no heed.

Yuugi, accompanied by Levia, spent the day hunting Shades.

Nue spent the day in the village with Byakuren, for whom the pain came and went throughout the day.

Keine spent the day handling her normal responsibilities as _de facto_ leader of the human village.

Mira spent most of the day at the shrine. Later afternoon found her in the village again, finding another man to take back with her for the night.

Ari continued her research, certain that the answers she sought lay within the unknown additions to her records. She knew she could find them, but she didn't know when. She wanted to find the answers in time to help Byakuren, but she didn't know how long it would take, and there was no telling how long Byakuren had left. She would find the answers, she was certain, but she did not know if she would find them in time.

* * *

When Nue and the others met at the tavern the next morning, Keine was once again there waiting for them. But this time, she has another with her. "I have not seen that woman before," Levia said. "She bares the scent of pride. Who is she?"

"Someone I didn't expect to see here," Nue said. "That's Sakuya Izayoi. She's the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, a mansion by the Misty Lake. And she does indeed take pride in her role."

As soon as she saw the trio, Sakuya left Keine and walked over to them, her attention focused on Levia. "You must be the one," she said. "I am Sakuya Izayoi, head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion and servant to Remilia Scarlet. You are Levia, correct?"

"That is my name," Levia said. "How do you know it?"

"I was in the village briefly the day before yesterday. I heard talk of you. They say you are able to sense the presence of Shades. Upon my return to the mansion, I informed my mistress of what I had heard, and over the course of the day yesterday, the issue of asking your aid was considered. Mistress Remilia is a very proud woman, not accustomed to seeking the aid of those outside the mansion and quite unfond of doing so. That being said, I'm not surprised she decided to seek your aid, given what's at stake here. In fact, if I was surprised by anything, it's that it didn't take longer for her to reach that decision."

"Maybe you should tell us what she wants," Nue said.

"Indeed. As you may not know this, Levia, the mansion is home to a vast library known as Voile."

"Voile's larger on the inside than it is on the outside," Yuugi said, "according to what I've heard. Apparently, Sakuya here did some sort of screwy space-time... stuff."

"Hardly the most elegant of explanations, but accurate enough. Yes, I am responsible for the expansion of the library past its physical boundaries, or at least its capacity to be so expanded; Patchouli, who is in charge of the library, is the one who formed its actual layout within that expanded space."

"What is it that you desire for me to do there?" Levia said.

"Something has been interfering with the library's space. A portion of it has become warped. A small portion, but that warped space is larger within than without, even more so that the library. Or so it seems, at least, but it's impossible to truly tell. The warped space is further warped by being within my own spatial alterations. Its form is inconsistent, its space fluctuating. It changes constantly, fluctuates, folds back on itself."

"Given that you specifically mentioned my ability to sense Shades, I believe it prudent to assume you believe that Shades are responsible for this distortion."

"There is little doubt," Sakuya said.

"Let's get to the main issue here," Nue said. "Remilia didn't send you here to ask for aid because there are Shades in the library. She and the rest of you in the mansion are more than capable of dealing with Shades. Why does she need our aid?"

"I cannot affect the distorted space. I cannot normalize it. Patchouli believes there is something within the space that is causing the distortion, something the Shades are responsible for, and that the best course of action is to remove this object. But our efforts to find this object have failed. It's barely possible to keep going straight within that space; finding anything within it just by searching normally would be next to impossible."

"That is why you are here to ask my aid," Levia said. "You are hoping that my ability to sense the Shades will allow me to sense whatever it is that they are using to create the distorted space. That it will enable me to make my way to it, even through the fluctuations of the space."

"Yes."

"You're still not telling us everything," Nue said. "Maybe Remilia would ask for aid eventually, but not this soon after learning there was someone who actually could aid her. Given the situation as you've described it, it would be weeks, maybe even months, before she'd ask for aid. What aren't you telling us, Sakuya?"

Sakuya was silent for a moment. "Mistress Remilia would rather her reasons be kept private, but I can tell you this: we have reason to believe there is something within that space that is of great importance to Remilia. She wants the space normalized so that what she seeks can be found."

"Nue," Yuugi said, "I get wanting to know as much as you can, but you already know the Shades are involved, and that's enough, right? You're going."

Nue nodded. "Of course I am. Should I assume you will be, as well?"

"Yes. Of course, it sounds like Levia's the important one here."

"I will go as well," Levia said.

"There you go, then," Nue said, turning back to Sakuya. "We'll come to the mansion."

"Excellent," Sakuya said. "How soon will you be ready to depart?"

"As soon as I let Byakuren know where we're going."

"I can do that," Keine said.

"Works for me. In that case, let's get going."

* * *

Keine walked with Nue's group and Sakuya to the edge of the village, and watched as they flew away. _Highly unusual. What could be in that distorted space that Remilia wants so badly?_

Sakuya and the others were soon out of sight, but before Keine could turn to head for Bykuren's place, someone else came into view, heading towards the village. The individual was coming from the general direction of the mansion, but from higher in the air than anyone from there was likely to fly. Keine's first thought was that it was someone from the mountain, which lay beyond the mansion, but no, the figure's angle of approach indicated that it was coming from well above the mountain. _A celestial. It has to be someone from Heaven. But that's not Tenshi. And Tenshi wouldn't approach carefully like that, anyways. No, this one's coming in like she's here officially. She has to be a messenger, but why send a messenger? Tenshi comes here all the time, and they've been using her to carry any messages. They haven't sent anyone else here since my relationship with Tenshi began. So why are they doing so now?_

Keine didn't have to wait for very long, as the celestial soon landed gracefully in front of her. "I am a messenger of heaven," she said. "I come with a message from Lady Iku Nagae for Keine Kamishirasawa. You appear to match the description I was given; are you her?"

"I am," Keine said. _Iku's a messenger herself, isn't she? If she's not using Tenshi, why wouldn't she deliver the message herself?_ "What message do you have for me?"

"As you are the effective leader of the human village, I have come to inform you, Keine Kamishirasawa, that in light of recent events, the realm of heaven is withdrawing completely from the world below."

It took moment for the messenger's words to truly register with Keine. "Wait, _what?_ "

"Several hundred years ago, we broke our isolation and began interacting, though infrequently, with the world below. The decision has now been made to return to our previous isolation."

"I- what- why- you-"

"For as long as it has existed, heaven has been free of the ills of the mortal world. But now, those ills are beginning to enter our realm. Heaven's purity must not be lost; it is essential for the achievement of enlightenment. From now on, we will go back to the old ways. The only entry into heaven will be ascending to the state of a celestial, and celestials will not leave heaven, with the exception of messengers bringing warnings of truly dire calamity."

"Hold on a minute. This is crazy."

"The decision has been made," the messenger said. "It is not my place to question it. I am simply a messenger. Lady Nagae insisted that you be informed of this decision. She would have brought the message herself, but her other duties prevented this, so she sent me in her place."

"But... but what about..."

"Your relationship with Tenshi? Though both you and she might wish otherwise, you will, unfortunately, be separated. You will, however, be able to see her again if you ascend to the state of a celestial yourself."

"But... why? Why are you..."

"As I said, heaven's purity must not be lost. Two of us now have fallen victim to what you call the Black Scrawl, the only two celestials ever to fall victim to disease. And then Tenshi brought word that the Shades have begun taking our forms in addition to yours."

"That's why?" Keine said, her voice quiet. "That's why you're isolating yourselves?"

"The Shades are clearly a danger. Heaven's purity is at risk."

"No, it's not. You have two deaths from the Black Scrawl and there being Shades that look kind of like you, and you panic and shut yourselves away?"

"The current situation is a danger to heaven."

"Like hell it is!" Keine's voice was no longer quiet. "We face more danger every day than you celestials have since the Radiance and the first Shade attack! You know, Tenshi would always complain about the attitude of all of you, but I always tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. But she was right, wasn't she? You're just a bunch of self-important assholes. I thought Tenshi's difficulties were just a sort of culture clash, that most celestials were just different than her, but no. Turns out she understands you people a lot better than I thought."

"I realize this news upsets you, but we cannot risk heaven's purity."

"Just shut up! This isn't about your goddamn 'purity', it's about you people being so locked into your nice, cozy little world that you can't handle even a minor disruption!"

"I understand that-"

"Just shut up! You don't understand a damn thing! None of you do! Your perfect little realm got shaken up, and you're all scared. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that. Down here, we deal with fear every day. But do we panic? Do we hide somewhere and pretend everything's normal? No. We deal with it. And most of us here are just humans. You can handle far more than we can, yet at the first sign of danger, you panic."

"I... we aren't... heaven must- I'm sorry to have to bring you this news. I realize this news is saddening, and Tenshi isn't any happier than you are, but sometimes sacrifices must be-"

"You wouldn't know sacrifice if it was shoved up your ass! You think you're so 'enlightened', but you're just a bunch of cowards. If you can't handle even just two people dying, then you know what? Go hide yourselves and pretend everything's fine. Just know that if you're willing to abandon the rest of the world because of something so insignificant compared to what we face every day, then you're not so damn enlightened after all, are you? Go back to heaven, and tell everyone who's willing to abandon us that they can just go fuck themselves!"

"I-"

" _Just go the fuck away_!"

The celestial stood in silence for a few seconds, then turned and flew away. Keine watched her leave, then collapsed to the ground in tears.

* * *

When Mokou and Kaguya stepped outside to head for Eientei, there was something waiting for them. A swarm of insects, arranged in the shape of words. _She has emerged._

Mokou shoved Kaguya back into the house and slammed the door in her face, then turned back to the insects. "Where is she?"

The insects rearranged into the shape of an arrow.

"Thanks," Mokou said. "I'll ask again shortly." Then she flew off through the forest in a random direction.

Kaguya exited the house again shortly after Mokou left. _Well, she clearly didn't think that one_ _through_. "Let me know when she stops trying to lose me, please."

The still-present insects assumed a new formation. _You will go, too?_

"This is my fight, too. Mokou just isn't willing to accept it. I'm sure she left in a random direction, not where you told her Utsuho is. She's trying to prevent me from following her. Clearly didn't think this through, or she would have realized that you can give me the same directions you give her."

_ Indeed. _

"I'll show up once she's already in battle. She'll complain, but she'll be too busy fighting to do anything more than that. So let me know when she actually starts heading towards Utsuho, please."

_I will._

"Thank you."

* * *

_The Scarlet Devil Mansion has changed little since the Radiance. There's only one way in, which makes it easy to keep the Shades out, and the SDM has always been fairly self-sufficient. Sakuya will occasionally come to the village or head up the mountain if she needs something-although with the kappa having moved and the tengu being extremely anti-everyone but themselves, there's not much on the mountain anymore that anyone at the mansion would want-but these trips are fairly uncommon._

_Most of those in the mansion are fairies, and they're as insignificant as most fairies. Only a few of the residents are worth mentioning, beginning with the mistress of the mansion, Remilia Scarlet._

_Remilia is a vampire. Stories of vampires are common in the outside world-or were before the border was strengthened and Gensokyo was isolated, at least-and their ubiquitousness has led to confusion about what vampires actually are. This is especially true in regards to vulnerabilities. Vampires do tend to be over-sensitive to sunlight, but it does not kill them. It is, however, very unpleasant, so they tend to avoid it when they can, although for some, Remilia included, a simple umbrella is enough to protect from its effects. A stake through the heart can kill them, but then, the same is true of humans. And it doesn't have to be a stake; destroying the heart in any way is likely to be fatal. It does take a lot more force to get to the heart, though, as vampires are physically quite tough. Not on the same level as oni, perhaps, but certainly above humans and even most youkai. In fact, sufficient physical damage in general can kill them; it just takes a hell of a lot more than it does for humans or most other youkai, although again, vampires are not on the same level as oni._

_Vampires do not have any weakness to garlic, and the same is true of so-called 'holy' symbols, such as the cross. The are able to change into bats, with some, including Remilia, being able to change into a swarm of bats. No turning into mist, though, or rats, or wolves, or anything like that. They have no inherent hypnotic abilities, although given the range of powers possessed by various humans and youkai, it's quite possible that some past or current vampire does have that ability; it's simply not an inherent ability of vampires. And vampires are certainly capable of entering a home uninvited; even they have no idea where that rumor came from._

_Remilia is not the only vampire within the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Though many do not know it, she has a sister, Flandre. Flandre is extremely dangerous and somewhat... unstable, so she's kept in the mansion. She spends most of her time in the basement, though she is allowed elsewhere in the mansion. Although 'allowed' isn't really the right word. Flandre realizes, at least on some level, that she is unstable, and remains in the mansion, and for the most part in the basement, by choice._

_Sakuya is the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The other maids, however, are fairies, and thus of strictly limited use. They do contribute, but Sakuya does much of the work herself. Fortunately for her, her temporal manipulation ability allows her to do a lot of work in very little time._

_Sakuya is supposedly human, but humans cannot live as long as she has. Some think she is in fact not human, while others believe that her temporal manipulation is what has allowed her to live for so long. Personally, I think the answer is somewhere in the middle., that her temporal manipulation contributes but that she is also part youkai. Not necessarily half youkai, or even one quarter youkai, but enough to somewhat lengthen her lifespan, which, coupled with effects of her temporal manipulation, extends her lifespan greatly._

_Unlike Sakuya, Patchouli Knowledge is not a servant of Remilia's despite living in the mansion. She is in charge of the library Voile, and hardly ever leaves it. She's a very skilled magician, but her physical frailty limits her ability. She has her familiar, Koakuma, perform any physical tasks she needs done._

_The only other notable resident of the mansion is Hong Meiling, the gatekeeper. She once had a reputation for being lazy and bad at her job, but the reality of the situation is now more apparent. True, she was often easily defeated by intruders, but that was primarily because normally the only intruder was Marisa. Now, Meiling's usual opponents are Shades, and since they cannot overpower her has Marisa could, she now has plenty of opportunities to show her skill._

_The mansion has had little difficulty with Shades. Since there's only one entrance, there's no way for a second group to show up and get in while Meiling's busy with the first, and she's almost always enough to handle any that show up. And if she's not, there's plenty of aid available within the mansion. Remilia, Sakuya, and even Patchouli-health permitting, at least-are all quite capable in battle, and Flandre is on an entirely different level than even Remilia. There's no shortage of combat power among the mansion's notable residents, and fairies resurrect on death, so nobody there has much to fear. Gensokyo has changed a lot since the Radiance, but the Scarlet Devil Mansion remains largely the same. Until now, that is, as it sounds like the Shades may finally be encroaching on the mansion, and the residents have been unsuccessful at removing them. Which, of course, is where we come in._

* * *

Byakuren stood when she heard a knock at the door. _Didn't think it would be quite so long before Nue told me her plans for the day. Wonder what kept her._ But when she opened the door, it was to find not Nue, but Keine. And it was plain to see that something was very wrong. "Keine?"

"Nue and the others are going to the Scarlet Devil Mansion," Keine said, her voice soft and flat. "They asked me to let you know."

"Keine," Byakuren said, "what happened? Are you okay?"

"No."

"Come in, Keine. Talk to me."

"I... thank you."

Byakuren led Keine inside, sat her down, and then sat herself down right next to her. "All right, then. Can you tell me what happened? Don't feel like you need to rush it. You can let it out slowly if you need to."

"The celestials are isolating themselves, so they're forcibly separating me and Tenshi."

"...What?"

"A messenger came right after Nue left, and told me that..."

* * *

_It's time._

"Good," Kaguya said. "Which way?"

The insects arranged into the shape of an arrow, then formed words again. _Move quickly. Mokou will arrive before you._

"Also good. As I said, I want her to be in battle already when I get there."

_She should be._

"Good. Thank you for the assistance, Lady Nightbug."

Kaguya took off in the indicated direction.

* * *

Since Sakuya was with them, Meiling made no attempt to challenge Nue's group as they entered the mansion, where Remilia was waiting. "Mistress Remilia," Sakuya said, indicating Levia, "this is the one."

"So you are the one who can sense the Shades," Remilia said. "Welcome to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. I am Remilia Scarlet."

"It would seem they were right," Levia said. "The scent of pride is indeed quite strong on you."

"...It seems you lack an understanding of proper social niceties."

"I was asleep until recently, and I was never meant for anything but destruction."

"So I understand."

"She may be a bit direct," Yuugi said, "but I like that about her."

"It can be a valuable trait sometimes," Remilia said. "I can be direct myself, if need be. And in this case, I most certainly would like to get straight to business."

"Yes, that much is apparent," Levia said. "The scent of pride on you is quite strong, but another scent is stronger. Who is it that you're concerned about?"

 _Of course._ "I should have known," Nue said. "This is about Flandre, isn't it?"

* * *

"It's difficult to accept that the celestials would do such a thing," Byakuren said. "They're supposed to be enlightened, but truly enlightened people would not cause such suffering in others."

"'Enlightened' my ass. They've just shown their true colors."

"I can understand choosing to re-isolate themselves, but forcing you and Tenshi apart is wrong. They should have at least given her the option to leave heaven and stay with you."

"That would be accepting that she's not like them, and she's been trying to tell me for along time, they simply can't do that. Hell, the bitches probably think they're _helping_ her."

 _I doubt they were as uncaring in their decision as Keine thinks, but this is not the time to say so._ "A possibility, yes."

"I just... I love her, Byakuren, and now I can't see her. I don't know what to do."

"I'm afraid there's no simple solution to this one," Byakuren said. "And I don't know how much help I can be. But rest assured that if there is something I can do to help, I will."

* * *

Remilia led Nue's group into the library. "We have reason to believe that within the distorted space is a text that, among other things, relates to my sister's... unstable condition. We think it may contain something that can be used to help her."

"Right," Yuugi said. "And how is it that you didn't know this book was in here until now?"

" _Ari_ 's been finding stuff she didn't know was there," Nue said, "and she has perfect memory over multiple lives. And a much smaller collection than this library, almost all of which she wrote herself."

"You're speaking of the current Child of Miare, correct?" Remilia said. "She's about the only person who could know every single book in here. Patchouli does an excellent job, but there are limits to what even she can recall. And it's also quite possible that the text in question hasn't always been there. You said that the Child of Miare has been finding new material among her collection; Patchouli has also been finding material she does not believe was here previously. She doesn't have any idea how it got here, though."

"What Ari's been finding seems related to the Shades. She's also found mentions of something called 'White Chlorination Syndrome', which may be connected. I don't suppose Patchouli's found anything on those topics, has she?"

"Interesting," Remilia said. "You know of White Chlorination Syndrome?"

"Not really. Just the name. Why? Do you know something?"

"Very little. Ah, there's Patchouli."

Patchouli was seated at a table with a book open in front of her and several others around the table. Another woman was at another table nearby. Yuugi recognized her as Alice Margtroid, and several of her dolls were moving around her, most carrying various seemingly-random items. There was a lot of stuff on the table, as well, including a pair of unfinished dolls, as well as a few books, presumably from the library.

Patchouli looked up as the group approach. "Ah, Remilia. These are our guests, then? I recognize Yuugi-it was a long time ago that I saw her, but she's one of only two Oni I've ever seen, and so is easy to recognize-but I am not familiar with the other two."

"We've met," Nue said, "although you didn't know it, since I was in the form of a fairy at the time. Nue Houjuu."

"Wait," Yuugi said, "why were you pretending to be a fairy?"

"Wanted to get a look around the place. It was shortly after I got out of the underground. I looked around all over Gensokyo. I'd been gone for a thousand years, after all. I wanted to see what the place was like after so long."

"You obviously caused no disruption, then," Patchouli said, "or else I would remember." She turned to Levia. "You, then, must be Levia."

"I am," Levia said.

"And you can actually sense the Shades?"

"I can."

"Interesting. Nobody else can. Why would you be able to? Hmm... well, I can consider that after speaking with you. Alice, you should greet them, too, should you not?"

"I heard their introductions," Alice said, not looking up from her work.

Patchouli turned back to Nue's group. "I apologize for her attitude. Over the years, she has become... well, obsessive."

"She has a singular desire" Levia said. "The scent of it on her is very strong, eclipsing all else."

"It used to be just a goal," Patchouli said. "She desires to create a doll that is alive. This has been her goal since before the Radiance, and she's kept working towards it ever since. But after more than five hundred years without success, it has become an obsession."

"Is she here often?" Yuugi asked.

"Yes. She often does research here, looking for anything that might help her along. She does take a few books with her sometimes, but most of her research she does here, as she often doesn't know what books she might need."

"Thought you didn't like that sort of thing. Isn't that why you were always pissed off at Marisa?"

"Marisa was a thief. Alice asks my permission and always returns what she borrows."

"This isn't important," Nue said. "Patchouli, Remilia just mentioned White Chlorination Syndrome. What do you know about it?"

"Very little," Patchouli said, "but enough to draw Remilia's attention. All I know is this: White Chlorination Syndrome sometimes induces insanity in its victims. I was recently made aware of a text within this library that should provide more information. It appears to be a publication of research findings. I'm given to understand that it is titled 'On the Effects of White Chlorination Syndrome and the Restoration of Destabilized Minds'."

"That's what this is about," Nue said, turning to Remilia. "You think there's something in there that might help Flandre."

"Yes," Remilia said, "I do. Her condition is not a result of this 'White Chlorination Syndrome', but her mind is indeed unstable. If unstable minds can be restored, I must know how."

"But you can't get this text yourself. It's in the distorted space, isn't it? That's why you were so willing to ask for aid. It's for your sister."

"I'm the one who saw it in that space," Sakuya said, "but the distortions prevented me from reaching it, and we haven't seen it again."

"So Levia locates the source of the distortion and we take it out, normalizing the space and allowing you to find this text."

"Yes," Remilia said. "Will you do it?"

"I'm here for the Shades, and that distortion is where they are. I'd be going in anyways. So yes, we'll do it."

* * *

Mokou caught up with her target over the ocean. "Utsuho!"

Utsuho came to a halt and turned to face Mokou. "Mokou. Are you here to fight me again?"

"I don't want to, but I don't seem to have a choice. Why are you doing this, Utsuho?"

"You know why. Kaguya killed Satori."

"She's responsible for my father's death, too, but you don't see me trying to kill everyone she's ever known."

"If you had, maybe she wouldn't have done it again."

"Don't give me that. Yeah, what she did was bad, but we more than paid her back already. And we kept it to her. Yes, you might hurt her by attacking the Lunarians, but you'll also be killing a lot of innocent people. Far more than she ever got killed."

"It's Kaguya's fault, Mokou. How do you not understand that?"

"Utsuho," Mokou said, "Satori's death is her fault, but your retaliation? That's your doing. The deaths of anyone you kill will be on you, not Kaguya."

"Don't give me that! She's the one who brought it to this!"

"No, you brought it to this! Going after Kaguya herself is one thing, but her people did nothing wrong!"

"She's one of them! That's connection enough!"

"This isn't like you, Utsuho. I know you, have known you for five hundred years, and the woman I see now is not the Utsuho I know. What happened to you? Why are you suddenly so obsessed about this after all this time?"

"Because I saw her," Utsuho said. "Satori."

 _That_ caught Mokou off-guard. "You- wait, what?"

"While I was at the reactor. She was there."

"She'd dead, Utsuho."

"So? Spirits show up down there all the time."

"And you think she was there as a... spirit... that's what this is about, then. You saw a spirit you thought was her. A vengeful spirit. And so you think this is what she wants."

"She told me."

"Those spirits can't talk, Utsuho. They can't communicate with us."

"She still told me."

"Even if that's true," Mokou said, "it wasn't actually Satori. Vengeful spirits are born from people's anger and hatred, but they are not those people. They're simply manifestations of hatred, indistinguishable from each other."

"It was Satori, Mokou. I _know_ it was her."

"And that's why you want to break through the Hakurei Barrier, get to the moon, and start destroying things. Because you think it's what she wants."

"It is what she wants. She wouldn't be a vengeful spirit if she didn't want vengeance. Trapping Kaguya in a sun didn't appease her. Just hurting Kaguya directly isn't enough."

"You know, Utsuho," Mokou said, "I've known for a long time that you aren't nearly as stupid as people think you are, but you're certainly acting that stupid now. Satori wouldn't want you to do this. You knew her well enough to know that."

"She does want it. She told me."

"I don't know what you heard, but it wasn't her."

"It was. And I'm going to do what she wants."

"You know what this means, Utsuho. You know I'm not just going to let you do this."

"I won't stop."

Mokou drew her sword. "Then you know I have no choice."

* * *

"Kinda looks like it's shimmering," Yuugi said, "but aside from that, it looks pretty normal."

"It's not," Sakuya said. She and Remilia had led the trio to the distorted area, which all of them were now standing before. "Once we enter, this will become much easier to tell."

"You're coming with us, then," Nue said.

"It is well that she does," Levia said. "I may be able to sense the source of this distortion, but even so, we may well find ourselves unable to reach it."

"Because of how everything's distorted in there."

"On your own," Sakuya said, "you would have no control over where you were going. Even if you can sense the source, this will mean little if the distortions prevent you from reaching it."

"But you can affect the space to some extent."

Sakuya nodded. "To some extent. I cannot do much, but at the very least, I can force a straight path."

"So Levia points you in the right direction, and you make sure we keep moving in that direction."

"Yes."

"Works for me." Nue turned to Remilia. "Are you coming, too?"

"I want to," Remilia said. "I very much want to. But..."

"The space reacts differently to her," Sakuya said. "It becomes... aggressive, as though it's trying to trap her. She's been in twice, and both times it was only with great difficulty that I was able to get her out. Normally, forcing a straight path is enough to guarantee you will reach an edge of the space and exit from it, but when Remilia entered, it resisted my efforts to do so. And most energetically. It's as though the space wants her trapped within."

"Why her?" Yuugi asked. "Why just her?"

"The most obvious possibility," Remilia said, "is that this reaction stems from the fact that I am a vampire, though I of course have no way of truly knowing if that''s why."

"As much as she wants to come," Sakuya said, "Remilia believes it is best that she remains outside the distorted space. This will be difficult enough as it is; we certainly do not want the space further complicating matters by becoming so aggressive."

"Sounds like a good idea," Nue said. "All right, then. Let's go in."

"Stay close to each other," Sakuya said. She stepped into the distortion, and Nue, Yuugi, and Levia followed.

As Sakuya had said, the distortion was much plainer to see from within it. The shelves were positioned seemingly at random, and often in sections; a shelf might have sections taken from the middle and placed against the opposite shelf, or in a path between shelves, or floating overhead, or fused with other sections, or sunk halfway into the floor. Some shelves were curved, while others were on their sides. And some sections were fragmented, as if they had turned to glass and shattered, the shards hanging in the air after being rearranged at random.

"Well, then" Nue said.

"It's worse than it looks," Sakuya said. "There's a lot you can't see. There's no guarantee that you'll actually reach something you're walking towards; even simply going in a straight line is almost impossible here, at least under normal circumstances. I, however, can force a straight path."

"We just need to tell you which way we need to go. Levia?"

"It is difficult to tell," Levia said. "The energy of the Shades exists throughout this place. I do, however, have a slightly different sense from that direction." She pointed.

"Good," Sakuya said. "I'll make sure we actually go in that direction. You confirm we're still on the right path. Yuugi, you're responsible for dealing with any bookshelves or other things that are in our path. Let's go."

* * *

Kaguya approached the battle from under the water. 'Flying' through the water was harder than flying through air, but it was far easier and faster than ordinary swimming. Approaching from under the water did slow her pace, but she didn't want to risk being noticed by Utsuho or Mokou until she arrived. She couldn't make them out as clearly from under the water, but the light from their attacks was impossible to miss, and once she got close, she could make out their positions well enough.

Kaguya waited for her chance, and took it immediately when it came. She shot out of the water, the splash masked by the sounds of the battle, and came at Utsuho from behind. She sent lasers into Utsuho, then slammed into her feet-first, sending her flying towards Mokou. Mokou, thanks to instincts and reflexes honed over more than a thousand years of battle, reacted immediately, delivering a kick of her own to Utsuho's face. This wasn't enough to counteract Utsuho's momentum, but it did knock her over, allowing Mokou to jerk upwards, then land another kick on Utsuho's stomach as the raven passed beneath her, sending her plummeting towards the water.

Mokou spared a glance in Kaguya's direction. "What the hell are y-" She was cut off as Ustuho, propelling herself with a blast from her control rod, slammed into her. Utsuho formed nuclear energy into a blade and spun around, cutting through Mokou's neck. Mokou's now-separated head and body fell into the water as Utsuho turned to face Kaguya.

"An amateur mistake," Kaguya said, keeping her eyes on Utsuho. "Sloppy. She's better than that."

"You again, as well?" Utsuho said. "Why now? There's no way you two are cooperating."

"She doesn't want me here, but that's not about to stop me from showing up. You want to harm my people. I'm not going to just stand by and watch."

"This is your doing, Kaguya. You killed Satori. I'm merely paying you back."

"Then do it to me," Kaguya said. "I'm the one who killed Satori. Take it out on me."

"That's not enough for her. She wants more."

 _'She'?_ "Who wants more?"

"The one you killed. Satori wants vengeance, and I will give it to her."

 _She's nuts. Great._ "I won't let you."

"Kaguya," Mokou said as she rose from the water, "what the hell are you doing here?"

"Back to life," Kaguya said, careful not to look away from Utsuho. "Good. You should've gone for a surprise attack, though. Try to focus, please. This is going to be hard enough even at our best."

Mokou, too, kept her eyes on Utsuho. "There's no 'us', Kaguya. No 'our'. This is my fight."

"She intends to attack my people. You know very well that this is my fight, too."

"I told you to stay out of this!"

"I'm not going to. Which means you have to make a choice: either fight Utsuho, or try to fight her while also attacking me. And I think you know how badly you'll lose if you go with the second choice."

 _She's right. So which is more important, Mokou? Dealing with Kaguya or getting Utsuho back?_ But she already knew the answer to that question. "Don't think I'm done with you, Kaguya."

"As long as it waits until after this."

[BGM= [www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVCArhmall8&list=PLF3sECcU-eWy1gxwlz8XyO2Q7MdLyiK6d](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVCArhmall8&list=PLF3sECcU-eWy1gxwlz8XyO2Q7MdLyiK6d)]

"You would ally with her, Mokou?" Utsuho said.

"Hell no. And trust me, when this is over, I intend to kick the shit out of her. But you're more important to me than she is, so you come first."

"'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'," Kaguya said, "at least until that common enemy is defeated."

"You're still an enemy. Just a less important one. If you want to attack my higher priority, then do it, but once I'm done with her, it's back to you."

"Don't think this will allow you to win," Utsuho said.

"I'm not letting you do this, Utsuho," Mokou said. "If you still mean to try, then you'll have to go through me."

"Then I will. High-Tension Blade!" Utsuho charged Mokou with her control rod held out in front of her, energy from it formed into a much cruder but far larger blade shape than before. Mokou dashed to the side and tried to bring her sword down on Utsuho's control rod, but Utsuho had left spheres of energy behind her which came quickly at Mokou, forcing her to move away to evade. Kaguya fired more lasers, but this time Utsuho formed an energy barrier that deflected them.

Utsuho formed several miniature suns and set them spinning around herself. Mokou flew right through one quickly enough that even its nuclear fire couldn't overwhelm her own ability, striking at Utsuho's side with her sword. Utsuho raised her control rod to block Mokou's strike. Kaguya passed between two of the suns and targeted Utsuho's wings with her own sword. Utsuho rose above her, aiming the control rod at Kaguya. "Giga Flare!"

Kaguya and Mokou both dashed away. Mokou managed to avoid the massive beam completely, but Kaguya was struck at the edge of its radius. The hit hurt, but she was knocked out of the path of the beam as it struck the sea, blasting a spray of water into the sky and evaporating even more into steam.

Mokou flew right back in, aiming for Utsuho's wings herself, but Utsuho blocked Mokou's strike with her control rod. Mokou went lower, then mid-body, then low again, striking all over, but Utsuho blocked her every time. Then Kaguya came in from Utsuho's left, forcing the hell raven to block with her control rod-free arm. Kaguya lodged her blade in Utsuho's arm.

The miniature suns circling Utsuho faded away. Utsuho formed a sun with herself at the center, forcing Kaguya to pull her blade out and both her and Mokou to back away quickly. Utsuho kept the sun stationary, firing a barrage of beams and other shots from within it, randomly-aimed but numerous. "Not fair," Kaguya said as she and Mokou took evasive action.

"Just stay where you are," Mokou said. "I've got this."

Mokou circled around the sun, positioning herself opposite Kaguya. _Much larger than those earlier ones, but still within my abilities._ She focused her power around herself and flew into the star as fast as she could. She couldn't see within it, but she could sense the where the fire bent around Utsuho's body, still in the sun's center, and she collided with Utsuho, carrying the hell raven out. All within the couple seconds she was able to keep the sun's fire at bay.

Kaguya prepared to strike, but then saw Utsuho and got out of the way, allowing Utsuho and Mokou to sail past her. "Mokou, get away from her!"

Mokou, her eyes needing a couple seconds to regenerate-looking at one of Utsuho's miniature suns normally didn't have the risk of damaging one's eyes that looking into the actual, full-size sun did, but Mokou had looked at the miniature sun from _within_ it, which was about as bad as doing so within the actual sun would be. Eyes, thanks in part to their size, regenerated quickly even when completely removed; the sunlight-caused damage to Mokou's only took a couple seconds. But it was a couple seconds too long before she could see that Utsuho was glowing brightly, and she didn't react to Kaguya's verbal warning quickly enough.

"Abyss Nova!"

Kaguya was outside the attack's radius. Mokou was not, and the blast did just as much damage as it had done to her and Kaguya when they'd first fought Utsuho. The remains of Mokou's body fell into the water, and Utsuho halted her momentum and faced Kaguya, the sun she'd recently been inside fading away.

"Clever," Kaguya said. "You knew she would do that, so you prepared yourself. Impressive, too, attacking with that much firepower while gathering the energy within yourself."

"Last time I killed her, you distracted me with talk long enough for Mokou to come back to life. Not this time. Yatagarasu Dive!"

Kaguya almost got out of the way of the energy-enveloped Utsuho's charge in time, taking a glancing blow that nonetheless knocked her spinning. She recovered by the time Utsuho's attack finished and the hell raven flew back at her, and met Utsuho's attempt to strike with the control rod with her sword. Knowing that she couldn't take Utsuho alone, Kaguya tried to pull away, buy time for Mokou to resurrect, but Utsuho pressed the attack quite aggressively, and the damage to Mokou's body this time was far worse than a simple decapitation. It took much longer this time, and despite her best efforts, Kaguya was unable to last long enough; just as Mokou rose from the water, Kaguya's own dead body plunged into it. And when she resurrected, it was just in time to witness Mokou's death.

 _Great,_ Kaguya thought as Utsuho came for her again, _now we're back to the tag-team approach._ She knew Mokou wouldn't hold off until she could resurrect-Mokou could better survive against Utsuho, thanks to the protection from Utsuho's power that her own power over fire afforded her, limited though it was, but she clearly wasn't willing to (which, given that she hadn't wanted Kaguya in the fight with her in the first place, wasn't surprising)-so Kaguya had to be the one to hold out until Mokou could rejoin the fight. But Utsuho clearly realized this, and wasn't about to let Kaguya do so. She pressed the attack aggressively, relying on overwhelming force to ensure Kaguya didn't have a chance to attack or to flee, and without an ally, there was nothing she could do to stop or escape the barrage, and once again, she fell just as Mokou returned to life. And she died knowing that even though the battle wasn't yet over, she and Mokou had lost.

[end BGM]

* * *

Yuugi tossed shelf to the side, clearing the way, and the group proceeded. Sakuya, however, was moving slowly. "Hey," Yuugi said, "are you okay?"

"It's... getting harder," Sakuya said. "The... closer we get, the harder... it is to keep... us moving in a straight path. It's as though... this place is fighting me."

"We have almost reached our destination," Levia said. "You need endure only a short while longer."

"Here, I'll make it easy for you." Yuugi picked Sakuya up, holding her in one arm. "Now you don't even need to walk."

"...Thanks," Sakuya said.

The group continued on, and as Levia had said, there was not much farther to go. One more shelf shoved aside, and the group entered what could only be described as a room-and a fairly large one-of some sort, though the 'walls' were all bookshelves. "We are here," Levia said.

"There's... no distortion here," Sakuya said. "Good. I... couldn't have held out much longer."

"You don't look so good," Yuugi said.

"I've... never been... so exhausted... in my entire life."

"Can you walk?"

"Yes, but... little else. It's good that... the distorting effect... seems to be absent here."

Yuugi set Sakuya down. "Isn't this the center of the distortion? Why would it be normal here?"

"There has been... some effect-the library has never... had such an arrangement of shelves-but the constant... distortions that exist throughout... the rest of this space... aren't present here."

"The eye of the storm," Nue said. "Levia, can you pinpoint the source?"

"It is much clearer now that we are here," Levia said. "I cannot say unequivocally that what I sense is the source-I have never before experienced anything like this space, nor have I sensed anything identical to what I sense now; it has the Shades' energy, yes, but it is not itself a Shade-but I can pinpoint the precice location of whatever it is I am sensing, source of this space or otherwise."

"Then show us where it is, please."

Levia led the group to one of the shelves, and indicated a specific book. "This is the source."

Nue leaned in and read the title off of the book's spine. "'Rubrum'. Wonder what that's supposed to mean. All right, then, let's destroy it." She reached out to pull it from the shelf, but as soon as she touched it, it flew out of her hand and off of the shelf to the other end of the room, where it spun around and opened, the blood-red pages between its black covers flipping seemingly on their own. "Aaaaaaaaand we have to fight it," Yuugi said. "Naturally."

"What's wrong?" Nue said as she readied her trident. "I thought you were always up for a fight."

"Yeah, but a book? Doesn't seem like a fun opponent."

Sakuya and Levia assumed their own ready stances, but Nue waved the barely-standing Sakuya down. "You don't look like you're in any shape to fight. We'll handle this."

"I... can still..." Sakuya fell to the ground, "...never mind."

"We've got this," Yuugi said. "Nue, Levia, let's kick this 'Rubrum' thing's ass."

[BGM= [www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyin0pjY7-0&list=PLB2F9F647A86EA5AE]Several](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyin0pjY7-0&list=PLB2F9F647A86EA5AE%5DSeveral) pages formed a ring around Rubrum and began firing Shade-style shots. Nue sent out rainbow UFOs to counter this, then aimed her trident at Rubrum and fired a beam. The beam struck a barrier around Rubrum with no effect.

Yuugi charged Rubrum and struck, her first punch breaking through the barrier and her second knocking Rubrum into one of the bookshelves making up the 'wall', though someone the shelf was completely undamaged. The pages flew into Yuugi, who struck and destroyed about half of them, the others impacting upon her, destroying themselves upon doing so. "Ow," Yuugi said, "that actually stung a bit. Those aren't regular pages."

"Really?" Nue said. "I never would have guessed."

Rubrum charged towards Yuugi at high speed, the barrier restored and another ring of pages positioned around it. The barrier struck Yuugi and knocked her into the wall as it continued on, not stopping until it reached the other side of the room. Nue swept a beam across the ring of pages, destroying them as they rotated around Rubrum and its barrier, but new ones replaced them almost immediately, and the beam had no effect on the barrier. "It looks like we'll have to strike the barrier physically! I'll clear its fire as much as I can; you two take it out!"

Nue formed a trio of green UFOs and sent them into triangular positions around Rubrum, directing their beams towards the book. The pages were destroyed almost as fast as they appeared, and the still-present rainbow UFOs cleared most of the shots they managed to get out. Of course, keeping the green UFOs in place was more complicated than that, as Rubrum was repeatedly repeating its charge attack.

"Damn thing won't stay in one place long enough for me to hit it," Yuugi said, dodging another charge. "Levia, get over here! I've got an idea!"

Levia and Yuugi made their way to each other. Yuugi took hold of Levia's whip. "Jump to the side next time it charges us, and don't let go of the whip."

"...Clever," Levia said.

Rubrum's next couple charges targeted Nue, but eventually, it once more came straight for Yuugi. "Now!" Yuugi shouted, and she and Levia leapt to opposite sides, stretching Levia's whip between themselves. Rubrum hit the outstretched whip, but the barrier didn't break. Rubrum hit it and kept moving, pulling the weapon, and thus Yuugi and Levia, along with it. When its charge stopped, momentum carried Yuugi and Levia forward. Levia flew past Rubrum and into the wall, but Yuugi reacted quickly enough to adjust her course, directing herself directly at Rubrum. She smashed through the barrier and into Rubrum, sending it into the wall. Yuugi tried to grab Rubrum, but the book evaded her and dashed away.

"That seemed effective," Levia said, "although not in the expected manner. Shall we attempt it again?"

"No," Yuugi said. "I thought your whip would slice through the barrier and catch the damn book, but it jjust dragged us along instead, and there's a better way than that to get a hit in."

Yuugi waited until Rubrum charged her again, and when it did, she made no attempt to evade. Instead, she struck with a carefully-timed punch, striking and breaking through the barrier as it was about to connect with her and hitting Rubrum dead-on, knocking it into the wall again.

"Thought I'd feel that a bit more," Yuugi said. "Guess these gauntlets do a better job of absorbing the shock than I thought."

Rubrum's barrier re-formed, and the pages vanished. "It's changing tactics," Nue said, dispelling her UFOs. "Be ready."

Rubrum charged again, and as it did, it also sent several spheres, duplicates of its barrier, flying off in random directions. Each made three bounces off the walls, dissipating the fourth time it hit a wall. And even more were launched upwards at various angles, so there was no safe area in the air. Rubrum kept charging, producing another set of spheres every time.

"Damn it," Yuugi said dodging a sphere, "I can't get a clear shot with all these things bouncing around! And I can't break them quickly enough to get one, either!" And she couldn't simply take the hits, as they knocked even her a significant distance upon impact.

"Be glad you can break them at all," Nue said as she weaved around the spheres. "When I do it, I get knocked into the wall anyways!"

"Yeah, this really isn't your kind of fight, is it? Just do what you can; I've got another idea."

Yuugi made her way to one of the corners of the room. With only a 45-degree arc for them to approach from, Yuugi had no difficulty breaking any spheres that came her way. "Much better."

"That may be," Levia said, "but our enemy seems to be avoiding you." Unlike Yuugi, she was having little difficulty avoiding the spheres; her whip allowed her to strike a wide arc around her, and although it didn't destroy the spheres, it did knock them away. "Make your way to me, Yuugi. You as well, Nue. I believe I know how to approach this."

Nue and Yuugi made their way over to Levia. "What's the plan?" Yuugi said.

"Yuugi, you and I will stand back-to-back. I can cover behind you and to your sides. We rotate tracking the movement of Rubrum, such that you are always facing it. Nue, make yourself as small as you can and place yourself somewhere on either of us. In doing so, you will avoid getting in our way while still remaining with us, giving Rubrum only a single target."

"So it'll have no choice but to come straight for me," Yuugi said. "Clever."

"Works for me," Nue said as she began to shrink. When she was small enough, she landed on Yuugi's head, gripping the oni's horn. Levia, rapidly swinging her whip in wide arcs, stepped backwards until her back pressed against Yuugi's. They were unable to turn quickly enough for Yuugi to face Rubrum's next charge, but Levia's whip knocked it away, and by the time it charged again, they were in position. She punched trough the barrier, but pulled her punch so as not to hit Rubrum. She instead grabbed the book with her other hand, threw it to the ground, and stomped on it. She was only able to stomp twice before it got away, though. "Damn. I was hoping that'd keep it from pulling back."

"Looks like you'll just have to take what you can get," Nue said. "Get ready; it's going to charge again."

"Doesn't this thing know any other tricks?" Yuugi said.

"The less it has to throw at us, the easier an opponent it is."

"True enough," Yuugi said. "All right, then. Let's finish this damn thing off."

[end BGM]

* * *

Mokou rose from the water to see Kaguya once again plunge into it. _So much for her 'teamwork'. Can't count on her for anything._ Not that Mokou was doing any better. She was too worn to continue fighting, and she knew it. She could barely even keep herself in the air. "Damn it... Utsuho. Don't... do this."

"I have to," Utsuho said. "Please don't try to stop me again. I don't like hurting you."

"And I... don't like... fighting you. But... I can't let you... do what... you're... trying to do."

"Please, Mokou," Utsuho said as she flew away, "don't make me hurt you again."

Kaguya rose from the water to see Utsuho in the distance and Mokou watching her leave. She wasn't quite as worn as Mokou looked, as she'd entered the battle after Mokou, but she was pretty close. "You look like you're about to fall into the water," she said. "Let's get back over land."

Mokou didn't object at all, which Kaguya knew was another sign of how exhausted she was. The two of them flew back to land at a slow speed, the only pace Mokou could manage. Once they made it over land, they touched down, and Mokou collapsed almost immediately. "Right, then," Kaguya said. "I need a rest, too. I think Seafront's pretty close, so let's head there." She picked Mokou up took off. _It better be close, because I can't keep going much longer, either._

* * *

Yuugi hit through the barrier and struck Rubrum as hard as she could, once more sending it into the wall. But unlike the many other time's she'd done so over the course of the battle, this time Rubrum didn't rise, instead shaking weakly a couple times. Yuugi dashed over to it, took hold of it with both hands, and pulled. It took significant effort, but eventually Rubrum was torn in half. "Die already, you goddamn book."

Nue left her perch on Yuugi's head and returned to normal size. As she did, she noticed the book's pieces vanishing as Shades did. One piece, however, left a black object behind, which quickly disappeared. Nue checked the tablet, which did indeed now have the eighth piece in it. She returned it to the nether. "So it actually was here. Huh."

Sakuya, who'd backed out of the room during the fight, walked back in. "That book was indeed the source," she said. "The interior of this space has ceased twisting, and the space itself is fading."

"Let's hope none of us is standing where a shelf is supposed to be," Yuugi said.

"I doubt you would be harmed. If two objects would somehow end up occupying the same space, the result is simply that whichever is flimsier breaks. In this case, that would be the shelf. You'd feel like you just hit it at high speed, but that's it."

"Better idea," Nue said. "Everyone, in the air. That way we don't break anything."

The four of them rose into the air as the distorted space returned to normal. They flew back to Patchouli's location, where Remilia was waiting. "You seem to have found quite the fight," she said.

"Yeah" Yuugi said. "Had to beat the shit out of an evil book."

"A book?" Patchouli said. "What book?"

"It was the source of the distortions," Sakuya said.

"Strange. Describe it."

"Black," Nue said, "with red pages. 'Rubrum' was written on the spine."

"Hmm... I'll have to look into this. I have no books fitting that description, but... well, no, it's unlikely the Shades could have changed a book like that. More likely that they somehow managed to put it there."

"Regardless of how it arrived here," Remilia said, "Levia, Nue, Yuugi, you have my gratitude."

"We benefited, too," Nue said. "That book had the last of the objects I've been looking for. Now I just have to figure out what the hell I need to do with them."

"Are you leaving already?"

"I am, at least," Nue said. "I want to go talk to Ari, see if she can tell me anything about what to do now that I have all eight pieces."

"I've got no reason to stay," Yuugi said.

"My business here is also complete," Levia said.

"I see," Remilia said. "Very well, then. Know that you have my gratitude, and if there's anything I can do to repay you, please let me know."

"For one," Nue said, "I'm thinking it'd be a good idea to get Patchouli and Ari together, see if they can learn anything new from each other. So I may bring Ari by whenever I have the chance."

"After what you've done for me," Remilia said, "you're welcome at any time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a text to locate. Sakuya, Patchouli, come."

"Right," Nue said as Remilia wandered off into the library, Sakuya and a reluctant Patchouli behind her, "let's get out of here."

"Back to the village, then?" Yuugi said. "Seems pretty early for that."

"If you want to hunt Shades or something, go ahead. I'm going to go speak with Ari."

"I'll come with," Yuugi said, "although if she doesn't have anything to tell us, I might go Shade-hunting anyways."

"I believe that holds true for me, as well," Levia said.

"Works for me," Nue said. "All right, then, lets go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I kinda completely forgot about this site for a while. Sorry about that.
> 
> Anyways, stuff happened, not all of it good. Keine had a particularly bad time thanks to some unpleasant news. I hope that scene worked well; it's the first time I've written something like that. Anyways, yeah, Keine had an... unhappy experience. Which is just a taste of things to come, really; NieR gets extremely depressing in its second half, and I have no intention of changing that here.
> 
> Those of you who have played NieR were probably expecting Eientei to play the role of Emile's mansion, what with all the strangeness happening there, but nope! It was the SDM. The find-the-keys 'puzzle' that you have to do in NieR wouldn't really make for good reading, either, I think, so instead I just went the 'strange space route. I kept the Rubrum fight, of course, although like in the Barren Temple, I had to up the intensity of the fight.
> 
> Mokou and Kaguya had their fight against Utsuho, but that didn't go very well. Nue's group did a lot better. And they have all eight pieces now, too. Not that this story is anywhere close to done.
> 
> Let's see, what else... oh yeah, Kagerou made a brief appearance. Not a significant one in any way-she was just there briefly-but I thought I should at least acknowledge Double Dealing Character. Don't expect any significant appearances from its cast, though. Some might show up, but they'd be just minor appearances.
> 
> Oh, and of course, comments of and sort are greatly appreciated.


End file.
